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                        VIDEO GIRL HOSOI
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                            Part II

                           Written by
                            Ed Hrzic

                     Copyright (c) 1997 by
                            Ed Hrzic

Based upon and inspired by Masakura Katsura's "Video Girl Ai"
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Previous part may be found at "ftp.cs.ubc.ca" in the directory
"pub/archives/anime-fan-works/Miscellaneous/EdFics" along with
most of my other fics.
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Comments welcome at "bd981@yfn.ysu.edu".  Thanks!
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                    Part II -- "Rolex"

<< FIVE >>

  'Who were those two weird people?' Brien thought. 'And what was
that strange store? With all of those tapes of women...' Even
though Brien thought it a little odd, but not much more than
those all-night channels on T.V. with undulating bodies...
  He shook his head as he continued to walk home from the strange
encounter, with an even stranger tape. He stopped on a bench and
opened his backpack, pulling out the tape. He gazed at the photo
longingly, finding some hidden magnetism in her eyes. He caressed
the sides of the casing, then flipped it over to read the
description several times, and then looked down at the playing
time.
  "One month?"
  "A month for what?" he heard a voice say behind him.
  Brien whipped around a saw his buddy, Hyle Tang, standing over
him. Hyle was a rather large kid, but not fat. Nearly all muscle.
He had short red hair and a sparkling set of teeth that shined
when he smiled. "Hey Hyle."
  Hyle hopped over the bench and sat down next to him. "Watcha
looking at?"
  Brien returned his attention to the tape. "Hmm? Oh, some tape I
got from a video store."
  Hyle grabbed it. "What's it called?"
  "Koshi Hosoi."
  Hyle flipped it over. "Koshi Hosoi. Age, seventeen. Shy and
quiet. Wants nothing more than to be your companion." Hyle
slipped it back over. "Computer dating service or something?"  
  "No," Brien grabbed it back, "It's supposed to comfort me...or
something."
  "Huh?" Hyle said as he looked off into the street.
  "I don't know. It was a weird store."
  Hyle saw a strange man in a trench coat looking at them. He
thought him quite odd. "A weird store?"
  "Yeah. I was walking home and I passed by this video store. A
lady gave me a membership card and said if I wanted to check
anything out, I just had to take it. Another person, a man, gave
me this tape. They kept chanting something about being 'pure of
heart.'"
  "Where was this store? Maybe I should get a membership!" Hyle
chuckled. The odd man continued to look at them.
  "If you're pure of heart, then I'm Hillary Clinton."
  "Really? Let's get out of here anyway. That guy across the
street is beginning to give me the willies."
  Brien looked up from the tape. "What guy?"
  Hyle turned back to where the man was standing.
  He was gone.
  "I could have sworn there was a guy over there who was staring
at us."
  Brien put the tape back into his backpack. "Maybe it was your
imagination." He stood up, soon followed by Hyle.
  They began walking. "Comforting you?"
  "Huh?" Brien said as he looked at Hyle.
  "I was just thinking about what those people were thinking.
You're right. It IS weird. And being 'pure of heart?'" Hyle was
definitely baffled. He exhaled loudly. "Sounds like a problem
only you can handle."
  "It's not a problem. There's also something else."
  "What?"
  "The tape in my backpack. On the back, it says its playing time
is one month."
  Hyle stopped and looked at Brien. "One month...?"
  "Don't look at me! I'm just as confused as thou art."
  "Drop the old-english. Tomorrow, let's find that store."
  They started walking again.
  "Why are you so concerned?" Brien asked.
  Hyle stroked his chin. "The Hardy Boys, my friend...the Hardy
Boys. A 'mystery' is what it is."
  
               *              *              *
  
  "You're not coming in to see the tape?" Brien asked.
  Hyle shook his head. "Nah. I'm pooped from football practice.
Besides, something feels really weird...I mean if I were to watch
that tape with you."
  "Huh?"
  "A gut instinct. Catcha later." Hyle waved as he walked off.  
"See ya."
  Brien pulled out the keys and gained entrance to the town-house 
he and his parents lived in. No one was home, so he rushed up the
stairs to his room and threw his book bag on the chair next to
his desk. From his mini-refrigerator, he grabbed a soda. He
popped it and put it on his night stand.
  Curiosity was getting the better of him as the tape and the
picture of the girl went through his head.
  'One month...pure of heart...Paradise U.S.A....' Those subjects
bounced around in his head, along with the events of the last few
hours.
  He grabbed the tape and put it into the VCR. He sat on his bed
with remote control in hand, and started the tape.
  Static.
  He did a visual search, encountering still more static.
  Brien shook his head, sighing loudly. "I can't believe I was
suckered into this."
  He took another drink from his soda.
  Then the TV began to talk.
  "Hello," a soft, female voice said.
  Brien put his soda down and looked at the screen. There was the
girl from the picture. He could only see the upper half of her
body, from her waist. She wore a light-pink blouse, and her hair
was up in a bow.
  "Oh, I see how you feel."
  'Gee, a tape with sarcasm,' Brien thought. 'How original.'
  "Don't be so down," she continued, "I'll listen to all you have
to say. It all begins with a friendly ear. I'm willing to help."
  Brien chuckled to himself.
  "I'm waiting," she said.
  'Why not, I'm depressed anyway,' he thought. "Okay. Let's play
along with the gag." He rubbed his hands together. "I used to be
in love with a girl, who was a good friend of mine."
  "Okay, I'm listening."
  "She made a lot of promises to me, but never kept them. Also,
she never gave me a chance to prove myself."
  "You don't need to be sad, Brien. I'm here."
  Brien? He looked up. "How did you know my name? And who said I
was sad?"
  She smiled. "I have to know your name. I can read your heart."
  'Coincidence,' he thought. 'Yeah...really big coincidence.'
  "If you want me there, I can be."
  Brien shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
  Hosoi shook her head. "If you're going to continually be
sarcastic toward me, it won't work out."
  Brien knotted his brow. 'How'd she know I was being sarcastic?'
He shook his head yet again. "What won't work out?"
  "I can't be there if you don't BELIEVE." She smiled again. "I
think you need someone, and you just won't admit it."
  "You're lying."
  "The more you deny it, the more you reassure it."
  "Huh?"
  There was a flash of light, and smoke began to fill the room.

<< SIX >>

  Ed was sitting down in Paradise U.S.A., reading a book. It was
'Frankenstein.' It was midnight by the watch on his left wrist.
  He had finished the book and placed it upon the counter. He
stood and yawned, stretching. Kokoro had already went to bed
several hours ago. Ed already closed up the store.
  He was becoming more aware of the fact that there weren't that
many good, deserving people in the world. He sighed and was about
to go upstairs to sleep.
  There was a knock at the door.
  "We're closed. Come back tomorrow," he called. Wait. Should he
be saying that? If someone was hurt, wouldn't they need help now?
Not later?
  The person knocked again.
  "Coming," Ed said as he yawned again, walking toward the door.
Looking out of the window, he immediately saw who it was. He
opened the door and gave Gokuraku a long hug. "It been a long
time."
  Gokuraku stepped back. "Yes, it has. You've changed."
  "How so?"
  They stepped into the shop, where Ed had previously been
sitting. "You're realizing that there aren't that many good
people in the world."
  Ed smiled. "True, but even if I can help just one person to be
happy again, it would be all worth it. And I've done that several
times."
  "You've also been losing some weight."
  Ed looked around. "I haven't been that hungry lately."
  "You're still thinking about the past, aren't you?"
  He didn't answer.
  "I thought so. Why?"
  Ed cleared his throat. "There was a young man who came in
earlier today. It's natural for me to know all about a person,
just be looking at them. But this kid was...almost identical to
me."
  Gokuraku looked concerned. "What do you mean, 'identical'?"
  "The things he did, the things that happened to him were the
things I did. The situations...everything."
  "Coincidence."
  "Hopefully," Ed sighed again. "Tell me, why have you come by?"
  "Well, for one, to see how you are doing with the shop. And,
two-"
  There was another knock at the door, and then the door opened
abruptly.
  Ed and Gokuraku turned.
  In the doorway stood a man in a trench coat. He had slightly
wavy brown hair, and a gaze that seemed to conceal some sense of
vanity or audacity. He folded his arms, and leaned against the
door-jam.
  Ed's flesh began to crawl. He looked at Gokuraku, who seemed to
be shocked beyond belief.
  "Greetings old man. I'm surprised you're still in the
business."
  "How...how did you find me? And how..."
  "Do not worry about how I survived. The point is that I am
here, and that is all you need be concerned with."
  Puzzled, Ed asked, "Who are you? And how do you know Gokuraku?"
  The man smiled. "My name is Rolex. Didn't he tell you about
what the true nature of this..." he looked around distastefully,
"this shop is?"
  Ed shook his head while looking at the old man.
  Rolex continued. "Gokuraku stole the technology from the main
computer to create a new breed of 'Video Girl.' Ones with those
useless emotions..."
  Gokuraku clenched his fist at his side. "Remember, those
USELESS emotions destroyed Mai, you're other PERFECT Video Girl."
  Rolex laughed. "Simple. Mai wasn't perfect. That is why she
lost." He walked forward. "I have no intentions of losing this
time. And besides, old man, you are no longer the target. I have
to take you back, but not before I destroy all of those who you
have given the technology to."
  Ed stepped back.
  "Precisely, young man. You need not worry right now. I will not
harm you in your shop. I am giving you 120 hours before the end
of your life. That is five days. Prepare yourself, Edward Hrzic."
Then he left.
  Ed swallowed very hard, but the acidic taste in his mouth would
not go away.
  It was called 'fear'.
  Gokuraku turned, with his head down. "I'm sorry about-"
  "Don't worry. When I accepted this job, sooner or later
something like this would happen. I'll prepare somehow."
  "He's going to go after your creations first, to destroy your
nerve. Are there any Video Girls out?"
  "The one that I made earlier today, and two others."
  "He will be going after them, and he will find them, as he will
find the other video girls that you have created. Before this
goes on any further, I must tell you of the legacy of the only
video girl that is 'alive'."
  "Alive? What...who do you mean?"
  "Ai Amano."

                    >>> END OF PART II <<<
