"And here we have our newest model. This is Ryuu, who is truly one of a kind."

The spokesman said, gesturing to a persocom on display. Like all persocoms, she was beautiful, designed to please the eye. She had a straight, string nose, large eyes, and skin white like snow. Her hair was black, with a blue tint, tied into to perfectly symmetrical buns. Her eyelids were decorated with golden eye shadow, and thick black eyeliner gave her a cat-like eye. Her lips were heart shaped, red and full. Her body was created to look inviting, to draw the eyes of everyone she passed. Her breasts were full and large, with tight, thin waist, and large hips and thighs, giving her an hourglass figure. She was dressed in a tight fitted kimono, red with golden dragons, and she seemed to radiate power, even when she wasn't on.

The only sight of her being a persocom was a golden headband, styled and designed to look like a hair accessory. She was nearly indistinguishable from a human woman.

"She has been programmed to respond to nearly every situation. She comes with self-defense protocols, and won't hesitate to protect you. She also has a lot of new, secret parameters in her system which only you will know when you purchase her."

"Would you like to see her in action?" He asked, and the crowd roared it's approval. The spokesman pressed a button on her band.

And Ryuu powered on.

"Can you believe that load of shit?" Oliver asked, clenching the wrench in his hand to the point of indents marking his skin. Julius, his younger brother, shook his head, eyes focused on the television. It was NPC's latest model, a persocom. Julius turned around, confusion marking his face.

"Isn't that-"

Oliver nodded grimly, tossing the wrench on the floor with a flick of his wrist.

"Yeah. That's Ryuu, named after the dragon, designed to look like Kinoshima."

"Kinoshima… Your friend?"

"Yeah. The one who passed away. Jacob must've stolen and patented her while I was in Iraq."

Oliver stared at the screen, with looks that could kill.

"The slimy bastard."

Oliver had created Ryuu. It had taken him 11 years, but he finally perfected her design and systems. He'd even specially programmed her to act just like Kinoshima, recorded her laugh and downloaded it into her system, had molded and remolded her lips until they were shaped just like he remembered. Kinoshima's life had been cut short, and Oliver would give her another life.

He transferred everything he remembered. How she would look at him, the way her mouth curled up at the edges when she said certain words, her inborn ability to surgically transfer hearts and save lives. Every little thing he remembered, she now knew.

And once again, she slipped through his fingers, eluding his grasp. Death took her once. He would not, no- could not lose her again.

Oliver's face was one of anguish as he recalled her in the morgue, deathly pale, lips looking like Ophelia drowned, a deadly shade of blue. Her chest had been cut open, the size of her organs weighted and measured, the y-shaped incision marring her beautiful, beautiful breasts. And when he read the autopsy, he couldn't sleep for a week.

He slammed his fist into the table, seeking relief- but it wasn't enough. Rage made him restless, and he kicked the table, before picking it up completely and heaving it across the room. It met the wall with a mind-numbing clang, sending tools and parts flying. Only then did his anger dissipate.

His eyes landed on a photograph on the floor, probably falling off when the table flew. It was a younger, happier him, with his best friend, arm slung around her shoulders. Even in high school, he was a looker, one of those "bad boy" types. His black hair was messy, with a dimpled, wolfy smile, and olive skin after which he was named. His eyes were a sea-blue, and they held entire oceans.

And the girl- he likeness to the persocom was not only striking, but identical. She was grinning, black hair down and falling past her shoulders in a slick river,

face flushed red from the alcohol. And Oliver wasn't even looking at the camera, but only at her, wondering why she'd settle for a nobody like him, and praying to god that she'd stay.

"Oliver? Are you okay?" A small voice asked. In the doorway stood little Julius, barely hitting four feet, his little race car pajamas hanging off his slight frame. Oliver smiled, walking over and resting a hand on the boy's head. The child looked up at him with so much love and admiration it made his heart hurt.

"Yeah. Just cleaning up." He said softly, reaching for the boy's hand.

"When are we getting her back?"

Oliver smiled a tired smile.

"Soon, kid. Soon."

Ryuu sat in her room, restless. Ever since they turned her on, she felt this way. Like... She was missing something. The girl stood near the window, peering down at the street far below. Somewhere, a car honked. A wolf howled.

It had been two weeks since her startup, two weeks of touring the globe to show off her latest technology. Every night a new hotel, every day, another adoring crowd throwing money and roses at her, like she was some kind of stripper.

Tonight they were in the city of angels, but to Ryuu, it sure didn't feel like heaven.

"Ryuu?" A voice asked, and she spun around, startled. However, she quickly relaxed, seeing who it was.

Jayce, her maker. The dark skinned, African American boy with thick dreads and a white smile, the one she first saw when she opened her eyes. He had met he with a smile, said her name.

Closing the gap between them, Jayce pulled her in for a passionate kiss, taking her breath away as he took her hair down and ran his fingers through the soft mass.

"How are you doing, love?" She asked when his mouth left hers. His gaze swept down her body, and suddenly his lips were at his throat, nibbling at the flesh. She sighed, warming up to him by the minute. A conversation would've been nice, she thought, but he had his needs. He came first, after all. He always did.

"Fine. Better now, that you're here. God, you are so beautiful. I knew from the moment I saw you I had to have you." He muttered. Ryuu tensed, her programming sensing a lie. And Jayce, sensing his mistake, covered his tracks.

"I meant, when I first had you completely done." He said, hands fumbling at her kimono. She masked the confusion and suspicion on her face and he mistook it for lust- and he led her to the bed.

"Shall we have some fun?"

Anything he said, she'd obey.

Oliver sat on a small couch in a cluttered apartment. A small, Asian girl sat before him, a bright yellow sweater hanging off her shoulders. She couldn't be more than 17. Her black hair was cut in a bob, and she smiled a lovely smile. Oliver cleared his throat.

"There's no rushing Aitsū, trust me. She'll come when she's ready." She said, and just then, a girl walked in. She had light brown skin, and thick, brown hair that fell in curls down her back. She was an older model, and her ears were large and triangular on her head.

The persocom sat next to Sam, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl and kissing her softly, lovingly. Everything about the lightskin seemed to radiate love, The two took a moment to look into eachother's eyes, before Oliver cleared his throat.

"Can we just... Do this?" He asked nervously. Aitsu sighed,.

"Video Recording Software initializing. Update and startup complete. Recording..."

Oliver stared into the persocom's eyes, heart rattling in his chest like a broken toy.

"Look, Ryuu. I understand you don't know who I am... But I know you."

To the side, Sam cringed, earning a chuckle from Aitsu.

"That sounded less creepy in my head. But it's true. I do know you. You love dogs, and have a secret fear of cows. You can barely sit through an action movie without making the cutest sound affects. You used to think Orchids were inhabited by fairies when we were kids. And your smile- it could break through the eyes of the blind. Your laugh sounded like music. It gets me everytime."

Oliver choked up, unable to go on. Sam took Aitsu's face in her hands.

"We know you. We're your family, not Jayce. Oliver created you, not that loser. If you want answers... You'll find it here. And likewise, if you want love- it's here. Samantha signing out."

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