Core Part 3

Yui happily skipped across the road, happy with her decision. It was already late at night, but the clear sky helped soothed her. She felt comfortable now. She was destined to die anyway so she might as well try and there had to be a good reason why Haruto wouldn't give her the heart. He was such a kind person. She saw how he treats animals, flowers and things she brought from the outside. He was a gentle person deep inside. She reached the Nakamura family house, entering through the gate and getting inside the house. As she was approaching the living room, she heard a woman's voice. She quickly ducked and listened near the door, peeking through the hole.

“Rem, can you please leave us?” Haruto’s mother, Akane, sat in red clothes, drinking wine as she gestured for Rem to leave. He bowed, before taking his leave through the kitchen backdoor.

“Rumors have spread across high society that you brought a core. It's pretty rare for you to do that?” She placed her glass down, starting the conversation.

“Is it for Rinrin? I heard her father wanted to talk to me about it. Is that who you are giving it to?” Haruto’s father, Hanzo, sat across the other table.

“No, I would never give her a core.” Haruto scoffed, twirling the fork on an empty plate, looking bored. “She has always been annoying since the day I was born. Never liked her, can't stand her.”

“That poor girl was on the waitlist for a transplant for so long. Why are you so harsh on her?” Akane clicked her tongue.

“Nobody deserves a core.” Haruto arrogantly gazed at his mother, and she looked at him reproachfully. “Then… Did you find someone who deserves it?”

“No. You think there is anyone in this world who deserves it more than me? No one… not a single person on this earth deserves it,” Haruto menacingly muttered to himself, and his mother shifted uncomfortably in her seat, looking at her husband. “The core is for me. This is the one I ordered a month ago. I'm sick and I need a heart transplant, so I got it for myself.”

Akane looked a little surprised. “I didn't know you were sick… you always told me everything when you were young.”

Hanzo nodded. “It makes sense you need the core. You could have at least contained the rumors.”

He criticized the young boy, but he didn't seem fazed.

“People always flock around me wherever I go.” He didn't think it was possible to keep it a secret.

“Even so, you can always order it instead of getting it yourself. You never did that before.” Hanzo’s palms gripped the armrest, pushing himself off the chair. Akane also followed. “I'll talk to Rinrin’s father regarding this. He is still a good business partner.”

Hanzo and Akane walked towards the door and Yui quickly found a place to hide so they wouldn't find her. As they got out of the room, anti-gravity flipped them.

“You know, I was searching through old data and there was information of an old human disease called psychopathic personality… Do you think Haruto caught that?” Akane whispered, unaware of Yui listening.

“Stop digging into old information. It's outdated! Nobody ever gets sick here.” Hanzo shook his head.

“Then why else would he not give anyone in need a core?” Akane didn't understand her son.

“It's not charity! It's a good thing he doesn't give it out like candy.” Hanzo looked at his wife as if she was the crazy one.

“I forgot… I think you both are the psychopaths.” The voices were subduing the longer they were moving further away.

“This woman.” The voice faded until she could no longer hear anything. Yui came out of her spot, looking at the living room. She tightened her fist as she entered. She believed in him and only believed in him.

She got inside and as she expected, there was Haruto, sitting on the table, twirling his fork, deep in thought.

“Haruto.” Yui started as she looked at him. He seemed shocked to see her here. “What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you to get out?”

“I came to ask…can I still have that core? My heart… it hurts, Haruto.” Yui's voice cracked as she looked at him. “It really does. I… I- I… want to live. I want to live with you.”

This was the first time her eyes were watery. Her very first tears were coming out of her. She, who used to not feel any emotions, felt an emotion for the first time. “I want to see the sunrise with you again, I want to play on the snow with you, I want to hold the animals with you, I want to feel the rain with you, I want to wake up every morning knowing you are experiencing it with me!”

Haruto's eyes widened and his mouth opened just too close it immediately, shocked.

“Please Haruto.” Yui smiled brightly, “Give me a core so I can be with you.”

There was a long silence. Haruto's eyes stayed on the ground for a while before it looked back at her. “I can't. We can't be together. You are different from me! One is a human and one is a robot! A robot can never love a human!”

His words pierced through her core as she felt a painful thump. “We can be togethe-”

“I DON'T WANT YOU!” He yelled, looking at her disbelieving face. “I want to be with someone like me. You… you don't deserve me.”

Her lips quivered and the tears were pouring out of her sockets. Why can't she control them? She touched her face. Stop pouring out. “Stop.”

“You don't deserve me,” he spat.

“Stop.”

“I rather you die. Yui, just keep this heart of yours and never show your face to me again.”

“Stop it, Haruto.”

He laughed amusedly. “I don't even want you near me. I want you far away from me where I can never see you again.”

“Stop!” She screamed as the emotions she was feeling started to rise. She clenched her fist.

“I don't like you anymore… we will never be on the same level Yui. You are beneath me, and you will always be.” He smiled.

This boiling feeling in her was about to rip her parts.

“Now leave, if you know what's good for you.” Haruto turned his back on her. “Trash like you belong in the scrap yard.”

There was a numbing feeling that cooled everything she felt, and it was like every emotion vanished.

“Let’s not meet ag-”

Yui punched him and he tumbled right into the ground. She let out a cry as she rained down her fist on him. He guarded his body from her attacks, struggling to get out. “Rem-”

She punched him square into his face and he grabbed her hand, squirming and wiggling his body underneath her. “Are you crazy!”

Yui bit into his face, watching him cry out as he struggled to get her off. He managed to fling her to the side, and she was quick on her feet, having learned martial arts because of him. She kicked him in the face and quickly stomped on his legs and used her body to slam down on him. He groaned as he quickly lost his energy. “I'm sorry, I'm SORRY! hold on-”

“You were going to get me a core when you thought I was human but now that I'm different, you suddenly don't want to? Does our time together mean nothing to you!” She clenched his shirt and ripped it apart. He flipped her and they both rolled on top of each other, trying to get the upper hand. She quickly hit him on the stomach, watching him gag out the food he just ate. She found his vault and braced herself to open it.

“Do you want a core?” Kaito asked. “I can get it for you.”

Kaito was willing to get her a core without questions asked yet… yet… she opened the vault, pulling out his core aggressively, watching his cry out. She watched him gape his mouth open as if he was out of breath. He should be after she took out his core like this.

“Don't worry Haruto… I don't want you to die.” Yui took off her vault, taking out her core. Her body quickly went weak and numb, she felt like a fish outside of the ocean but put his core inside her. She held hers and watched Haruto. “I'll give you mine. You take it and go to the basements and find the new cor-”

“I don't want your heart.” He gritted through his teeth.

“I told you I won't let you die.” Yui grabbed his vault and was about to put hers in, but he slapped her hands away, making her core fly away l. “No… I don't want yours. Anything but your heart. Give me back mine…”

Yui looked at her core lying on the corner without any support as if it was trash and the tears in her eyes burst out then. Being treated like this by him. The emotions in her were a mix of rage or sadness and something a little more sinister. “Listen, you-”

He held her shoulder, gasping. “Take your heart back-”

She clamped his mouth, his eyes widened gasped and legs swiping in and out, as she stared at him. “If you don't want my heart.... Just die.”

“No, Yui, I'm sorry, it's not what you-” she closed his mouth, watching the light in his eyes dim more and more. “You said it only takes three minutes, right? To die without a core? It's been two minutes now.”

He struggled more aggressively, and Yui stood up, watching as he now crawled towards her core. Now he wants it. She watched as he helplessly extended his hand out and she grabbed the nearest vase. Yui pulled her arm back and got ready to bring it down.

“Haruto Nakamura… this is how we part.”