BTW so that someone doesnt get all feathered up ^_^ this story is based on the creative spark of Tatsuhiko Takimoto. If you have time you might like this

The Hikikomori

Its been almost four years since Tenchi had left his one bedroom apartment. He was what the Japanese called a "Hikikomori" a common social problem. . its an individual who isolates away from society, commonly living in one room for over six months. Depending on the individual, some can remain in isolation for years, or in rare cases, decades. Little did Tenchi know, he was not the only one. It had become a wide spread problem in the overpopulated little island, thousands if individuals in the heart of Tokyo locked away for years in their tiny apartments.

It was the second spring since Tenchi had dropped out of college. Some wondered how he even survived locked up so long alone. His parents had finally stopped sending him money.

"Great…just great," Tenchi looked at the empty floor under the mail slot. "I guess they finally figured out I wasn't going to college, now what?" He treaded through sloppy stacks of hentai porn magazines and Pepsi cans that he had bought with the last of his college funds. He made his way back to his computer desk. He sat on the chair and held his head in his arms.

"God! I'm such a loser!" He pulled at his black unkept hair. he then raised his head and calmly looked at the dim light that streamed from the outside world through his closed curtain.

"But not today! I'm going to quit being a human parasite and rejoin society! Yes! No one will ever call me a hikikomori again!" Excitedly he stood up knocking over his chair and tore open his curtains violently. A girl was in front of the window not even a foot away, casually looking through her mail. She gave a very startled look, she screamed and then he screamed as they locked eyes. Quickly he closed the curtains and collapsed on the dark floor, hugging his knees, breathing heavily.

"Good one." he whispered as he finally managed to calm down.

Right then a thin white box pushed its way through his mail slot, it slapped the wooden floor. The unexpected noise made Tenchi jump.

Carefully Tenchi opened the white box, it contained vials of white powder that he had ordered from a shady website online.

After about an hour the effects started to kick in.

Bye-bye mundane world!

He felt himself elevate off the floor. He was in midair and electric sensations pulsed through his entire body. Electric sensations turned pleasurable and he felt he was part of everything in his apartment, the walls, every dirty dish, even the leftover spaghetti on the dish he was apart of. The walls breathed in and out. Every single fabric hair from the carpet. He acknowledged he was truly omnipresent.

"Hey, Tenchi," the refrigerator interrupted his serenity. "Finished college yet?"

"Uh, no." Tenchi answered sheepishly.

The TV turned itself on and the screen turned to static, "Just get up some courage, and get out that door."

"Yah! You pussy!" The lamp beside him spat in disgust.

It turned into what could have been hours or even days that Tenchi laid there and argued with his kitchen appliances and furniture. It wasn't until he noticed that the lamp was starting to get awfully quiet while he cursed at it, that this was all one big illusion. Just when he thought he had finally had a chance at that hard-to-get tease of a feather duster!

Sobered up, he went back to surfing the Internet, desperately trying not to think of his money issues, college or that frightened girl in the window. On his computer he dragged the icon The Sims to the recycle bin. He had felt maybe he could practice living in the social world by playing the Sims, but it didn't work. His sim didn't have any friends. And every time a neighbor knocked on his sim's door he sent his sim running into the back bedroom. His sim did have a roommate once, but after awhile they fought about everything. Once you make a sim angry enough it marches out of the house down the street and out of the game. Hiro wondered where all the angry sims in the game went. Maybe there was a angry sim hotel where everyone fights and gets drunk every night.

He chuckled to himself.

The door knocked.

Hiro's eyes grew wide and he stood up quickly, knocking over a stack of magazines piled on the ground, his eyes fixated on the door.

He felt desperate like his sim to run into the back bedroom. But his surprise and curiosity kept him still.

He couldn't believe as he found himself walking towards the door. He squeezed the door handle and held his breath and slowly opened it.

"Hello!" An out of place voice shrilled cheerfully.

She beamed. "Sorry, about yesterday, you startled me! No hard feelings though! I don't think we have properly met…I'm Suki Kato, twenty." she stated her name and age as if she was on an online chat. She held out her hand and smiled.

Tenchi couldn't help but notice her odd outfit, knee socks with sandals, green skirt, hello-kitty t-shirt, topped off with a bright rainbow beanie cap. Her hair was an off-shade of dark red with dramatic long bangs that framed her cute delicate face. He couldn't stop looking at her.

Her hand was still awkwardly out, she took his hand herself and shook it.

"You are?" She winked.

"T-t-enchi," he stammered.

"Age?" she asked.

Oddly he had to count on his fingers. He hadn't acknowledged his birthday in two years. He felt his face flush in embarrassment as he tried to remember.

"Twenty-four?"

"Are you asking me?" Suki lifted her eyebrow.

"Eh, no, it's just--I haven't talked to someone in so long…" he instantly started kicking himself as the words slid out. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He buried his head in his hands.

He felt a chill as she ran her fingers through his hair, she then lifted his head. "I know, my poor little Hikikomori."

His head snapped up and was instantly offended. "I am NOT a Hikikomori! Who told you such lies!?"

"Who else would get a big box of toilet paper delivered to their doorstep every month? Not to mention all those pre-boxed groceries. How do you get those anyway, order them online?"

Tenchi's face was so red in embarrassment that he looked like a big angry Asian tomato.

"T-t-that's NONE of your business!" He slammed the door in her face.

Just what I thought! Society ridicules me and I hadn't even left the doorway!

He laid in bed unable to sleep. Although he was very embarrassed of the situation, he couldn't stop thinking of her. He kept replaying her over and over again. He wondered where she lived in the apartments, she had noticed the boxes at his door… He gasped, what if she is my neighbor?! He then tenderly pressed his finger tips to the wall beside his bed. What if she is laying on the other side? He curled up to the wall hugged his pillow.

Always the optimist, Tenchi still clung to his pillow and fell asleep trying desperately not to think if her colorful rainbow cap matched her panties…

The smell of bacon and eggs hung in the air. Tenchi's mouth watered as he tossed and turned in his bed. It reminded him of his mother before he left home and wound up in his miserable exsistence. He could not even remember the last time he had a real home cooked meal. Oh! What he would give for a home cooked meal.

Tenchi pulled a pillow over his head, "Damn, neighbors--Playing music at this time!"

Baby, please...wake up with me...you've been asleep so long.

"I'am going to murder the neighbors..." Tenchi mumbled

CAUSE NO ONE PROMISES TOMORROW OR T-T-TODAY!

"AAAAH! That's IT!" Tenchi stumbled out of bed.

He froze in terror. He realized the music was coming from inside his apartment! He picked up his aluminum bat from a messy corner in his bedroom and cautiously made his way into the hallway.

START LIVING YOUR OWN W-W-W-AY!

Tenchi realized the music was coming from the kitchen. He braced himself and jumped in front of the kitchen. At what Tenchi saw he screamed and dropped his bat, which made a deafning clang on the lenol floor.

"Good Morning, Tenchi baby!" Suki winked. There she was, her hair twisted up in two buns, like a Star War's princess wearing a procative low-cut shirt and a tight apron. She hovered over the stove cooking bacon and eggs. Behind her a radio was plugged in playing music.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY APARTMENT!?" Tenchi yelled in disbelief.

"What does it look like I'm doing? Cooking eggs, duh." Suki gave a mocking face as if she had always lived there.

Tenchi started to hyperventalate. This had to be a dream! No way was there a cute girl cooking breakfast in HIS apartment!

"G-g-get OUT!"

Suki sat down his spatula, turned off the radio, and walked over to him slowly. He pushed himself against an opposing wall. She then hovered an inch from his face, he could clearly see the neon green eyeshadow she wore and how her eyes grew soft. "Tenchi, I just wanted to say sorry for the other day. I didn't want to offend you. So I decided to give you an 'I'm sorry breakfast' and grace you with my presence. How can you be mad at me?"

"Well, I may not get out much, but I would think the normal person would of wrote a sorry note and slid it through the door. Not BREAK IN my home and use MY kitchen, YOU PSYCHO!" Tenchi started picking up courage. In reality he wasnt mad at all that she was there, he was more embarrassed that she saw his mess of a home including his stacks of porn magazines.

"You're cute when you're angry." she smiled, she leaned over slightly and he could see down her low cut shirt. He looked away and his face grew hot.

After a little debating, they both sat down to have breakfast.

"How did you get in here?" He closed his eyes still feeling awkward, and slightly violated.

"Well, my mom owns these apartments and so we have a spare key to every apartment."

"Oh."

"You even cleaned the kitchen, that must of took a while." Tenchi struggled for conversation.

"I've cleaned alot of apartments in my day, and believe it or not, yours is definetly not the worst."

"Heh heh." Tenchi forced himself to laugh. His laugh sounded so awkward to him. He was amazed that he was having a real conversation with someone, a cute girl no less! After about an awkward half hour, their conversation started to pick up and they started talking about their past.

"How did you become a hikikomori?" Suki sipped her tea.

Tenchi tried not to become angry "Thats a bit of a harsh word, but its probably true," he tapped the table nervously with his fingers, "I think it started with a test I missed. It was a big test, I fell behind in school and I just kind of gave up. I started staying home a lot and eventually became part of this...sad existence. Sorry, Suki, I wish I had a real traumatic story of why I'm like this, a good excuse why I hide myself away. Heh, I think that's why I started doing drugs, not really as an escape, but to create a reason for why I'm the way I am, why I don't go to school or leave the house. Believe it or not Im trying to get addicted." Tenchi couldn't believe he was pouring so much of himself to this stranger. In the back of his mind he knew what he was risking by confiding in another person.

"Didn't your friends start to wonder where you were?" Suki asked.

"I never made friends since I moved to Tokyo, never was that good at making friends anyway, sorry that sounds really 'poor me'."

"Its okay, I never have had any real friends either." Suki sighed, she then placed her hand on top of his. He did not pull away, he accepted her warmth. They sat silent for a minute.

"Well, then you're welcome to break into my house." He couldn't believe what he was saying.

Suki chuckled, "I think I'll ask you first next time, you looked pretty deranged with that bat."

"Can you blame me?"

They both laughed.

The next day he found a red envelope sticking out of the mail slot:

He began to hyperventilate. She was calling to him. She was reaching out, she wanted him to the battle the demons he so long fought with. She wanted him to step outside his apartment! Where people judge you, and even worse, you have to work!

Tenchi crumpled up the letter and stood in silence.

How long had it been since he had seen the stars?

He un-crumpled the letter and read it again and again. He didn't want her to feel hurt if he didnt show up, but there was no way for him to call her to tell her he couldn't go, that he wasnt ready. He kept the letter in his pocket. Was this his ticket to finally leave the apartment? Hours past by and he still felt unsure.

"Suki...why are you doing this?" he tightened his grip on the letter.

Eventually he put on his coat that was two sizes too small and turned the door handle that led to the outside world.