~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                        Video Girl Hosoi
                            Part III

                      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
"pub/archive/anime-fan-works/Miscellaneous/EdFics/" along with
most of my other fiction.
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Comments are welcome at "bd981@yfn.ysu.edu".  Thanks!
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:  I'm sorry that the previous chapter was so short. 
I didn't realize it until I looked back over it, and I know that
it's been quite a while, but here is the continuation...

                Part III -- "Death of Emotions"

<< SEVEN >>

"What's going on?" were the only words that Brien could say.
  The smoke was continuing to pour out of the television set, and
into his room.
  "Stop it!"
  He stood up from his bed and took a step.
  He tripped over a book and fell face-down on the ground.
  "I said, 'Stop it!'"
  What good would yelling do?  He was talking to a tape.
  Or was he?
  He noticed that there were some feet standing right in front of
his face.  They were in some sort of strange shoes.  He glanced
up the feet, the legs, and right up into the face of a woman.
  The woman in the tape.
  "Hello, Brien.  I'm Hosoi."
  He blacked out, his brain unable to understand it all.

               *              *              *

It was a few hours later before he woke up.  He found himself in
his bed, covered to the neck with a blanket.
  The events that preceded his black-out flashed before his eyes.
  He looked around desperately, hoping that, in some small
fashion, that is was all a dream.
  Hosoi was sitting in a chair, right next to his bed.  She was
keeping an eye on him.
  'So, it wasn't a dream after all.'
  "You're finally awake," she said.
  "Awake?  Oh, I blacked out..."
  "It's not surprising," she smiled.
  "Not surprising?" Brien held his head for a moment, then looked
at her.  "Just who ARE you?"
  Hosoi was slightly taken aback.  "I'm the video girl from the
tape that you borrowed from the store."
  Brien shook his head.  'I must have hit my head harder than I
thought.'
  "You needed my help, so I came."
  "And you do this for a living?"
  She nodded.  "My purpose is to comfort those with a broken, yet
pure, heart."
  Brien pulled the covers from over him and stood up.  "Define
comfort."
  She stood up with him.  "Whatever your heart desires.  Anything
at all.  When your heart is finally healed, that is when my job
is finished."
  Brien stopped for a moment, trying to let it all sink in. 
"Whatever I want?  Anything?"
  She looked at him and nodded again.  "Yes, whatever you want. 
However, I don't think that you're the type who would take
advantage of everything that it means."
  Brien then blushed, catching the meaning.
  "Now," she continued, "I remember you saying something about a
girl who didn't keep her promises?"
  Brien broke into a cold sweat.  'Then she IS real.'  Brien
didn't want to talk about it.  He'd rather forget it.  But Stacey
was always there, and seemed to never disappear from his life.
  "Brien?" Hosoi waved her hand in front of his face.
  Brien snapped back to consciousness.
  "Maybe we can get her to keep her promises to you."
  Brien suddenly got angry.  Very angry.  He was trying to forget
everything about her, but sure enough, people kept bringing her
up.
  "No," he said.
  "What?"
  "I said 'no'.  I don't want her to keep her promises to me. 
I'd rather go on without it."
  She peered at him.  "Despite what you say, I can see that-"
  "SEE NOTHING!  Look, you appear in my room, spouting desires,
and video girls, and whatever else.  Then you want me to try and
get the girl who never wanted to keep her promises in the first
place to keep them.  What is all of this bullshit?!"
  Brien was getting VERY angry with Hosoi.  "I'm sick of lies,
lying, and anything else to do with Stacey Ann Lona!  So get the
hell out of my sight!"  He turned and left the room.
  "Brien-"
  "LEAVE ME ALONE!"  He said as he exited the room.
  Hosoi was left there.  She sank back down in her chair,
dejectedly, and stared at the bed that Brien slept in.  'My first
case, and I've already begun to fail.'
  "Maybe I can do something to help him.  Otherwise, I won't know
what will happen if I fail completely.  Perhaps he really doesn't
want her to keep his promises."
  She looked around his room, then went to the closet.
  She pulled out some of his clothes that looked as though they
fit her, and she set them aside.
  Once she had shed her own, she put his on, and thought what she
would do next.

               *              *              *

Ed sat and thought long and hard, after so much that Gokuraku had
told him.
  "Do you understand it all?" Gokuraku asked.
  Ed slowly nodded.  "More than I want to.  And what of Rolex?"
  "I know as much as you do at this point.  I thought he was
destroyed long ago.  Apparently, I was wrong."
  "Do you know of a way to stop him?"
  "I don't rightly know.  Considering that he's human, he's
probably prone to human weaknesses."
  Ed thought again.
  "Ed?  You know that he's going through your children first,
don't you?"
  After a long while, Ed gave a weak "Yes".
  "Don't let all of it get to you, or you're going to lose before
you even confront him."
  Ed stood up.
  "Where are you going?"
  He turned and walked toward his room.  "To bed.  Today's taken
its toll."
  Kokoro came out of her room, and waited as he walked into his
own.  She gazed at the door a bit, then walked to Gokuraku.  "He
seems a little more concerned than usual."
  Gokuraku sighed.  "It isn't surprising.  If someone you didn't
even know came to your home and said 'I'm going to kill you and
your children', wouldn't you be upset?"
  "I guess so."
  "He's just trying to find out what to do."
  Kokoro sat down in the chair across from him.  "So, why doesn't
he just recall the video girls?"
  "He's thinking about the detrimental effect it would have on
those who borrowed them in the first place.  First and foremost,
Ed is worried about the people who he is trying to help."
  "Even if it means that his daughters will die?"
  "No one ever said that Ed was easy to understand.  And in a
way, that's why I chose him to take this shop.  His love of
people made him a perfect selection."  Gokuraku picked up a small
cup on the table, and drank his tea.

               *              *              *

All of the Elders looked down upon Rolex from their chairs high
above the ground.  All six of them hung in stony silence.
  Rolex shrank back slightly.  For one of the few times in his
life, Rolex was afraid.  Afraid of the Elders.  Normally, Rolex
was the model of stoic exuberance.  He was a master video girl
creator, not to mention one of the most prized members of the
Gokuraku video chain.
  The meddling of one goody-goody clerk, and a bad VCR, changed
all of that.  The video girl, Ai, was for all intents and
purposes, human, but still a video girl.  No matter how hard he
tried, he couldn't destroy her, nor those she came in contact
with.
  And that conflict nearly led to the end of his life.
  Recalled by the Elders at that moment, he was left to
contemplate matters up to this point.
  The clerk, Gokuraku, had created his own chain of stores, all
of which used the technology of the video girls, which was stolen
from the Elders.  Not only was it stolen, it was being shared
with those who had no business knowing it in the first place.
  And in the eyes of the Elders, it was his fault.
  Rolex was afraid.  Very afraid.
  "Rolex," one Elder spoke.
  Rolex snapped to attention.  "Yes, sir."
  "It appears that you have been fortunate enough to be given
this chance to redeem yourself in the eyes of this community."
  "Yes, sir.  I feel honored-"
  The Elder stood.  "DO NOT INTERRUPT ME!"
  Rolex bowed.  "I am sorry."
  The Elder sat back down.  "And you are in the process of
liquidating your target, correct?"
  Rolex stood up straight.  "Yes, sir.  Edward Hrzic.  He is
operating a store in the United States."
  "Fine then, destroy the video girls FIRST.  Then, deal with the
maker."
  Rolex bowed again, then stood up.  "Sir, I also have some more
news."
  "What is it?"
  "Then trouble-maker of Gokuraku.  He was at my target's store."
  Silence hung over the room.
  "This is indeed a good day.  Rolex, dispose of him AS WELL.  If
your job is completed, you will be redeemed with honors, and be
given your place among the greater levels of your field."
  "Thank you, sir."
  "Go."
  "Yes, sir."
  Rolex left the confines of the room and breathed a sigh of
relief.
  "Old man, Edward, you both are going to die very shortly."

<< EIGHT >>

Brien was sitting in the chair in the living room.  It always
seemed to come back to Stacey.  Anything and everything.
  And then there were the dreams.  For odd reasons, Stacey
appeared in several dreams of his since they ended their
"friendship."  The stranger fact being that they were actually
"friendly" to each other in these dreams.
  Brien always shook his head at all of those dreams.  As if
something from God above to tell him if he was being idiotic.
  Wait...didn't that video girl say something about being pure or
something like that?  If so, did he really hate Stacey?  Or did
he want to hate her, simply for hating's sake?
  There were footsteps echoing from the stairs.
  Hosoi.
  After a few moments, she found her way into the living room. 
"There you are," she said.
  When Brien saw her, he shook his head.  "WHY are you wearing my
clothes?"
  Hosoi looked at herself, and then looked up at him.  "I thought
since I was going to be here for a while, my video girl clothes
would have attracted too much attention."
  "Wait.  You say 'a while'?  Just how long?  Look, Hosoi, you-"
  Brien stopped when he saw her look down at the ground.
  And then there was the sobbing, and her tears looked as if
shiny diamonds that started to flow.
  "Brien... I'm sorry if things didn't work out for you... I'm
only here for you, and to help you... It's not my fault if I'm
programmed this way..."
  If there was something that Brien hated to do, it was crying. 
Moreover, he hated when others cried.
  "...all I wanted," she continued, "was to be a good video girl,
and help people... Remember you were the one who rented the
video..."  The tears came faster, and in larger quantities.  "But
if you change you mind..."
  Hosoi could talk no more.  She fell to her knees in the middle
of the living room and cried from the bottom of her heart.
  Brien could be cold, even declared an "asshole" at times, but
he never wanted to hurt anyone.  From everything that people do,
hurt comes from hurt.  From Brien's own hurt, he had harmed
Hosoi, and he regretted it.
  He stood from his chair and kneeled in front of her.
  "Hosoi," he said, in the, midst of her crying.  She didn't seem
to move.
  "Hosoi...I'm...I'm sorry that I hurt you."  As if taking a cue
from the multitude of movies that he had watched, he took one of
her slender hands into both of his own and held it firmly, but
gently.  "I last thing in my life that I wanted to do was to hurt
someone...anyone...but I've been so hurt that I don't know what
I've been doing."
  Hosoi looked up at him, the tears finally stopping.
  Brien looked down at his hands that were holding hers.  "I've
tried to do a lot to forget Stacey.  'Out of sight, out of mind'. 
I've been trying to follow that statement, but every time that I
think that I've won, someone brings her up, and it's like ripping
a wound open again before healing.  I can't help it."
  He let go of her hands and stood up.  "If you want to go back,
then you can, if not-"
  "It just means that we'll have to start over."
  She offered him her hand.  He took it and pulled her up.
  "And what would you like to do, Brien?" she asked him.
  "I've always wanted to go walking with someone."
  Hosoi looked at him vaguely.  "Just walking?"
  He smiled, something that he didn't do too much of recently. 
"Walking would mean a lot to me."
  "I can see," she said, knowing that he meant it all.  Looking
at his eyes told her more than she needed to know about his life,
his intentions, and his honest.  "Okay," she said, and to prove
it, she hugged him.

               *              *              *

Ed was sat on his bed, back to the wall.  He rested his head
against the wall, and closed his eyes.
  Despite what he had been trying to do right for a change,
something right in his life, it would never been enough, or pass
without incident.  There would always be something in his way.
  Unfortunately, that is life.  Life tosses obstacles in the way,
and Ed really couldn't understand that.  Being handed everything
he wanted in his life, and being assisted with things in his
life, he couldn't comprehend the fact that life is not fair.
  He had fully come to realize this.  There was no mistaking it:
a threat had been made on his life, and there was ever indication
to believe that Rolex would fully intended to keep his threat.
  But there was something else that truly frightened him;
something that most parents feared for: their children.  It
wasn't enough that Rolex wanted to destroy him -- he wanted to
kill his children as well.  And being that his children were so
valued to his soul, he doubted that he could do anything to
hinder Rolex's efforts.
  Ed wanted to cry so very much.  For a moment, it was as if
tears were forming in his eyes.  But he fought them back; fought
them back hard so that they wouldn't show.  It wasn't that he
didn't wanted anyone else to know that he was crying; he didn't
want to hear himself cry, or taste the salt tears.  He didn't
want to think himself weak.
  He looked around his barren room again.  It might be the one of
the last few times that he would ever see it again.  He knew that
he was going to die, and there is no way to prepare for death.
  How painful would death be?
  It would be much more painful that what he would suddenly feel
sitting in his bed.
  Someone may as well have thrust a spear through his chest,
because that is what he felt.  He screamed in agony as he gripped
his chest.  He felt that a part of his soul was being ripped
right from his core.  He stumbled out of the bed, screaming and
thrashing around.  Some papers, and the lamp on his desk were
flung off of the desk as he reached for something to grab onto.
  And then he felt the air leaving his lungs.  He couldn't
breath.  He tried inhaling, but nothing happened.
  The door burst open, and Kokoro and Gokuraku ran into the room. 
Ed was strewn along the ground, gasping for breath and spasming
almost as if he had a seizure.  Tears of pain rushed down his
face.
  "Master!" Kokoro screamed.  She went to the ground and moved
his head to her lap.  She looked up at Gokuraku.  "What's
happening to him?"
  Gokuraku looked down upon both of them.  "One of the video
girls has been killed."
  Then there was a gasp from Ed as his lungs finally allowed air
in.  However, the pain was still there, if not increasing.  The
human body, after a certain amount of pain, will shut down
consciousness.  Ed welcomed the unconsciousness, for he could
barely stand the pain.
  "He's not dead," Gokuraku said.
  He and Kokoro picked him up and placed him on his bed.
  "He looks so...terrible..." Kokoro said.
  Gokuraku went to the door of the room and stepped out. 
"Kokoro, let's let him rest for now."
  Kokoro leaned over and gave him and kiss on the forehead. 
"Don't worry, master.  Everything will be alright.  Just trust in
yourself."
  It was a shame that he couldn't hear her.

<< NINE >>

Brien and Hosoi had walked for quite some time during that day. 
Though they didn't talk as much as they could have, both he and
she knew that they didn't need to talk to enjoy the moment.  They
were passing by an ice cream store when-
  "Do you want some ice cream?" he suddenly asked, out of the
blue.
  "Ice cream?  Oh, okay."
  "What do you want?"
  "Um...swirled?"
  He walked up to the counter and bought her a medium-sized cone,
gave it to her, and began walking again.
  Hosoi was slightly puzzled.  "Wait, where is yours?"
  "I don't need one."
  "What?"
  Brien stuck his hands in his pocket.  "I never really got to do
things for people.  I like the way people's eyes light up when
you do something special."
  Hosoi ate some of the ice cream, and put her right arm around
his left.  And she leaned against him as they walked.  "You feel
so warm," she said.
  "Likewise."
  For a brief moment, Brien felt the happiest that he had been in
such a long time.  What most didn't understand was that he only
wanted someone as a companion; a person he could spend his time
with.  The underlying fact of the matter was that no one trusted
him.  Being one of the "known-but-not-popular" students in his
school, and since the school was so small, finding a companion of
the opposite gender was improbable at best, since they were all
taken.
  It was also Brien's lot in life to be the nice guy.  With being
a nice guy came the saying: "Nice guys finish last."  And it was
true.  Brien could not win at anything that was considered
important.  Let it be scholarships, or grants for college, or
grades: it all seemed to cave in on him.
  Hosoi looked at him.  "What are you thinking about?  You've
been TOO silent."
  Brien wanted to laugh.  He was being as silly as they come. 
"Oh, nothing and everything."
  "Brien, you're not a cryptic person, so don't speak that way."
She finished her ice cream.  "I see that you're happy...and so
sad at the same time... Brien, what's going on?"
  Brien let out a trademarked sigh.  "Ever time that I get happy,
something sideswipes me."
  "Aren't you happy here, with me?"
  "Of course I'm happy.  Then I started thinking..."
  "That doesn't sound good..."
  "No, it's not what you think.  I was thinking about my lot in
life: being too much a nice guy for anything to go totally right
for me."
  "Don't say things like that, Brien.  You'll start to believe
it-"
  "Too late," he snapped.  "I...I really never wanted much. 
There are people nowadays who sleep with each other, and not even
know the other's name.  And me..." Brien began to cry, "I can't
even get a date."
  Hosoi took her arm from around Brien's arm, and put it around
his waist.
  "...I just wanted someone to hold and spend my time with.  I
don't want sex...I just want some companionship..."  Brien wiped
his eyes.  "Is that so bad?  Is that too much to ask?"
  Hosoi couldn't answer his question, but she did have something
to add.  She stopped him, and stood in front of him.  "Well,
Brien, I'm here for you now.  And when I said that I won't leave
until your heart is healed."  She patted his right cheek. 
"Okay?"
  All Brien could do was hug her.  "Thank you, Hosoi."
  When they continued walking, Brien had a question to bring up. 
"What happens if my heart is never healed?"
  Hosoi had to think about that for a moment.  She really didn't
know.  Conceivably, she could be with him forever.  As part of
the agreement, she wouldn't leave until his soul had been
repaired in some way.  However, if he didn't get any better, then
she wouldn't leave.
  "Well?" he asked, again.
  "I don't rightly know.  If you heart never heals, then I could
be here forever."
  Brien looked forward, and Hosoi could have sworn that she heard
him say, "Good."
  "Hey!  Brien!" he heard someone say up in front of him.
  While speaking to Hosoi and looking down at the pavement during
their walk, Brien failed to see Hyle walking up the sidewalk, arm
locked with his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Candy.
  "Brien!  Good to see you!" he said.
  "Same here, Hyle."
  "Hi Brien," Candy beamed at him.
  "Hey Candy."
  Hosoi snuggled up a little to Brien.
  Hyle peered at Hosoi a bit.  "Hey, Brien?  You didn't tell me
that you had a little lady."
  "Well, it's kinda hard to explain... Say, what are you two
doing out here?"
  Hyle looked at Candy and then back to Brien.  "Well, we were
out for a bite to eat and a walk.  We came down here, and BOOM! 
Saw you two."
  "Ah," Brien nodded, "Well, since you're going-"
  Hyle stopped him.  "Brien, we need to have a talk."
  "What about right-"
  "PERSONAL talk, Brien.  NOW."
  Brien, befuddled, looked at his friend carefully.  What did he
want?  He looked rather anxious to have a chat with Brien...
  "Hosoi, do you mind if I talk with Hyle a little bit?" Brien
asked.
  She shook her head.  "Uh, no.  I'll just..." she looked around
and saw a clothing shop back a ways, "I'll just go in this shop
for a little while."
  "Same here," Candy said, and gave Hyle a peck on the cheek. 
"Come and get us when you're done."
  When the two girls left, Hyle grabbed Brien by the upper-arm
and started to drag him over to a small table in front of a cafe.
  "Hyle?!  What the hell's gotten in to you?!"
  Hyle plopped Brien down in the seat, and took the one opposite
him.  "Brien, I really don't know how to say this."
  "If it's about Hosoi-"
  Hyle shook his head and sighed.  "It's got nothing to do
with...huh?  Hosoi's her name?"
  "Yes, Hyle.  Didn't you hear me say it when I asked her if she
would mind busying herself for a little while?"
  "Oh," Hyle thought, then nodded.  "Oh yeah."
  "Anyway, Hyle...you were getting to something?"
  Hyle snapped his fingers.  "That's right.  I, uh, had a run in
with Stacey, and-"
  Brien immediately stood up.  Hyle jumped up with him.
  "Now cool your jets!  At least listen to what I have to say!"
  Brien crossed his arms and spoke through bared teeth.  "I
thought you said that YOU WEREN'T GOING TO TAKE SIDES."
  Hyle put his hands up to defend himself.  "And I'm not!  I'm
just the middle man!  You know me better than that."
  Brien sat back down.  "Go ahead."
  "Good," Hyle took his seat.  "As I said, I had a run in with
Stacey.  She looks pretty bad."
  Brien leaned forward in his seat.  "Do you think that I really
care?"
  "As a matter of fact, I think that you care quite a bit.  She's
taking it hard, with her boyfriend breaking up with her and
all..."
  "You mean Clark?"
  Hyle nodded.  "It seemed to have just been out of the blue,
too."
  "I'm sure there's something more to this conversation than just
telling me that she's depressed."
  "Well then, I'll lay down the line: she's wants to talk to
you."
  Brien looked at Hyle for a long moment...and then Brien began
to laugh.  Almost a maniacal, possessed laugh: one you would hear
from villains and people who have been driven mad.
  This actually scared Hyle.  Despite being Brien's friend for so
many years, he had never heard him act like that, even in the
most remote sense.
  "Did I say something funny?"
  Brien's laugh came to a slow stop, and then he sighed. 
"Actually, yes.  Okay, since I'm the stupid asshole like everyone
says, where does she want to meet?"
  "At school, on Monday."
  Brien shrugged.  "Whatever."  And he stood up.
  "Wait.  Who's that girl anyway?  Hosoi..."
  Brien looked down at Hyle.  "Remember that tape I borrowed?"
  Hyle thought a moment, then said: "Yes."
  Brien turned and began walking.
  "Wait!  You don't mean to tell me that it's HER, do you?"
  Brien kept walking.
  "Brien!  Damnit!  Brien!"

               *              *              *

"Say, Candy?  Where's Hosoi?"
  "Huh?" she said, putting a dress back on the rack.  "Oh, she's
in the back, looking at uniforms."
  "Thanks."
  Sure enough, Hosoi was in the back corner of the store, looking
at sailor uniforms.  She seemed to be particularly interested in
one red suit: blouse, skirt and kerchief.
  "Like it?" Brien asked.
  "Brien?  Oh, are you finished with your talk?"
  He nodded, though slowly.  "Do you like it?"
  Hosoi blushed a little in embarrassment, "Well, I, uh, that is-
"
  "How much is it?"
  "You're not seriously going to-"
  Brien looked at the tag that was attached to one of the
sleeves.  "Thirty dollars?  I think I can afford that."
  "Brien, you don't have to do this-"
  And then she saw his eyes.  Wide and hopeful, pleading in some
way to let him buy it for her.  He sincerely wanted to do this
for her, and she could tell solely by his wonderful eyes.
  "No one has let me buy anything for them...not even my
parents..."  he looked down.
  "Yes.  I like it, Brien.  Would you buy it for me?"
  Brien looked up, and the joy in his expression made Hosoi that
much happier.  She began to understand a little more of what
Brien wanted in a relationship: to give.  He wanted to do things
for someone, and not one person would let him.
  Hosoi was also coming to the realization that she was slowly
beginning to love him, which could represent a problem.

<< TEN >>

Kokoro wiped Ed's brow with a soft cloth as she sat next to him
in the bed.
  He had been unconscious for over four hours, and she was
starting to get very worried.  Gokuraku had left for a short
while, but assured her that he would be back soon.  Some other
matters at Paradise U.S.A. demanded his immediate attention.
  Kokoro was a simple person, with simple needs, and that's why
Ed had created her.  He knew that not everything at the shop
could be done by himself; he would easily have collapsed, and
just about died from the things to be done.
  Out of respect, and reverence, Kokoro cared for Ed a great
deal.  It also made her smile a bit to know that even thought Ed
was a "god" of sorts, SHE was the one who was taking care of him. 
Who thought a creation would be taking care of its creator?
  Ed shifted in the bed a bit, and knotted his brow in his sleep.
  'He must be having another dream.'  If there was one thing that
Kokoro knew, it was the terrible, riddle dreams that went through
his head.  She didn't EXACTLY know what those same dreams were
about, but that they had a sever effect on Ed, especially after
waking up from his sleep:  concerned, frightened, but most of
all, sad.  And these dreams frightened not only him, but her as
well.
  The door in the store opened.  Kokoro stood up, and went into
the store.
  As she had figured, Gokuraku had returned.
  "And how is he?" he asked.
  "I think he's going to be okay, but I'm not sure.  I'm not a
doctor."
  "When I went to Paradise U.S.A., the technical analysts told he
some disturbing news: there have been some attacks on other video
girls around the United States."
  "And?"
  "I'm sure you can draw your own conclusions about who is behind
it."

               *              *              *

Hosoi stepped into Brien's room and took another look around.  It
seemed 'different' in some way.  Now that Brien had actually
accepted the fact that she was there to help him, it seemed to be
a bit of a happier place.
  Brien walked in behind her, and realizing that it was what most
humans considered to be 'bedtime', had a rather easily solved
problem.
  "We haven't found you a sleeping place," he said.  "We only
have three bedrooms.  My parents' room is out of the question;
the study is full of boxes..."
  "I can sleep downstairs."
  "No!  I can sleep down there.  You can the bed I have here."
  "Brien-"
  But he had already left.
  She sat down on the unmade bed and busied herself with some
thoughts, most of which concerned the sailor suit that he had
bought for her.  If he bought it, the least she could do was wear
it.  But she thought about when she would have to leave-
  "Brien?" she asked when he re-entered the room.  "Brien- What
do you have there?"
  He held two pieces of clothing in his hands.  "A button-up
shirt, and a pair of shorts."
  "What for?"
  "For you to sleep in."  He handed the items to her, and sat
next to her.  "Anyway, you were going to ask me something?"
  "Let's go out again tomorrow.  You bought me the outfit I
wanted, so I want to wear it."
  "Okay.  I don't believe that I have anything planned..."
  There was an awkward silence as Brien built up enough courage.
  "Hosoi...I really don't know how to ask this...but, would you
be my girlfriend?"
  "Girlfriend?  Brien, I'll have to leave you-"
  "-until you leave.  I just want someone that I can hold."
  "If it means so much to you, then yes, I will be."
  Brien smiled and wide smile and hugged her.  "Thank you."  He
stood up to leave the room.  
  "Wait...where are you going?"
  "Downstairs to sleep."
  "Couldn't you stay in here?"
  "I...don't...know...I shouldn't..."
  "We don't have to sleep in the same bed."
  Brien scratched his head.  "I can stay on the floor.  Do you
want me to?"
  She nodded.
  "Okay.  Just let me get the bedding downstairs."
  He left, and Hosoi stood back up.  She picked up the sailor
outfit again and looked over it.  She really did like it, though
the skirt looked a little too short for her tastes.  "Oh, well. 
It will be nice for Brien."
  She put it down and shrugged out of Brien's jeans.  Then she
pulled off the shirt.  She put on the shorts, and fiddled with
the shirt, as Brien was one of the only people to fully button up
a shirt that needs to be buttoned in the first place.
  Brien walked up the stairs, and stopped when he got to the
doorway.  Her hair was a wonderful contrast to her bare skin. 
She had what appeared to be unblemished skin.  But it was covered
when she put the shirt on, and buttoned it up.
  She was beautiful.
  "I, uh, I've got the bedding."
  She turned around and nodded, sitting down on the bed.
  He spent a few moments putting a "roll" of padding down on the
floor, a sheet, a blanket, and a pillow."
  They got into their respective locations, and he turned the
lights out.  Only the soft hum of the fan, and the sole cricket
let them know that there was anything else there but them.
  Hosoi sat up in the bed, and moved down to the floor with
Brien.
  "What are you doing?" he asked.
  "I'm sure we can both sleep down here without anything else
happening.  Now move over."
  Brien moved over some, and let her under the blanket.  She
shifted under the blanket for a few moments, and pulled her
shorts out from under the blanket.  She tossed them on the bed.
  "You're just wearing your underwear?"
  She nodded and looked up at the ceiling, as Brien was doing.
  "You know," he said, "I've spent a lot of nights just looking
up at the ceiling."
  "And what do you think about?"
  "It reminds me of everything."
  "Everything?"  Hosoi looked up.  "It's just a white ceiling."
  "I know.  And it's just like my life: blank.  Well, it used to
be."
  Hosoi understood a little of what he meant.
  Brien chuckled.  "Sad, isn't it?"
  "No, it's not.  It's just how you think of things.  I wouldn't
change how I looked at things for anything in the world."
  They were silent for a long while.
  "Brien?" she asked.
  Too late; he was already asleep.
  And she looked at him.  He even looked, in her opinion, cute
while he slept.  At least he wouldn't have that concerned, sad
look on his face at this time.  He was...peaceful.
  Hosoi turned back to the ceiling and took another look. 
"Blank, huh?"  And she closed her eyes.

                     >>> END OF PART III <<<

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:  Okay.  This is the last part of VGHosoi that will
be posted.  If you want the final part of the story, you are
going to have to e-mail me for the final part, with your comments
about the story.  And remember this:

           N O  C O M M E N T S ?   N O  S T O R Y !
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