Disclaimer: I don't own FLCL
als, I promise the chapters will get longer after this one.
Shooting Star
Chapter 1: Homecoming
Oato and his friends, Genko and Doug, walked along the side of the river bank, as they did every day after school. They were the kind of kids nobody noticed, so they had it pretty easy. Nobody paid attention to them accept for the occasional comment about how Oato's grandfather used to be mayor. No one really cared who they were, or what they did.
"So have you heard they might be putting in a new mall?" Genko said trying to make small talk on the long walk home
"In Mabase? Impossible, nothing ever happens here." Oato said skeptically "They'll probably see the town and realize there's no point."
As he said this a siren rang out through the air, he felt as if he should correct himself. For the last few months the nearly condemned Medical Mechanica plant had been very active, every afternoon like clockwork, the siren would go off and a thin layer of smoke would overtake the town.
"What do you suppose is going on?" Doug said
"My dad said that weird things used to happen with that factory." Genko replied
"Every time I ask my mom she shrugs it off and tells me it's not important" Oato said stopping to look up at the plant, it was falling apart but it still towered above the town as if attempting to intimidate everyone
The other boys kept walking not noticing that he had stopped.
"Nothing ever happens here." He muttered to himself as he looked down at his feet and shuffled forward to catch-up.
He was right, nothing ever happened in Mabase, it was the same old town, the same old things happening, day in, day out. The emphasis, however, being on was. Genko and Doug stopped in their tracks looking toward the horizon, Oato bumped into Genko not paying attention, he looked up, squinting in the sunlight, a faint buzzing sound could be heard.
"What the hell is that?" Genko said squinting and cocking his head forward.
On the horizon all they could see was a cloud of smoke and red blur at the center, it was getting closer at an alarming rate, none of the boys knew quite what to think of it. It got closer and it's glistening details became more clear, a bright red Vespa, with glaring chrome details, the couldn't see the driver though just a hunk of black perched atop it. When it reached about a hundred feet it slid to one side, and spun around and around until it stopped dead five feet in front of them, with no driver, surrounded by a cloud of thick dust. The boys coughed as the dust settled around them, Oato looked up, in terror, at tall dark man who stood slightly crouched five feet further on. No distinguishing features could be seen. He had long dark hair draped down over his face, which was obscured even more by a thick beard and riding goggles. A leather trenchcoat hung down to his ankles, heavy riding boots, and leather pants were accompanied by a filthy white t-shirt. The only thing about this man that didn't terrify Oato was the bright blue Rickenbacker he held in his hand, in know way telling them that he was about to play them a song, I the guitar seemed vaguely familiar to Oato, but he couldn't figure out why.
The man slowly lifted his head to stare directly at them, he pushed up his goggles revealing striking blue eyes, barely visible from beneath his hair.
"Ninamori Oato?" The man said in a dark low voice.
"Y-yeah?" Oato replied immediately wishing he hadn't
"It's your turn." The man said as he began to charge forward
Genko and Doug dove to either side, but Oato was to frozen in fear and puzzlement to move. Then it happened, the Blue guitar came slamming down on Oato's head with all the force in the large man's muscular body, and he blacked out.
Oato slumped in the door of his house, his mother was never around so he didn't worry about making too much noise. He knocked over a lamp on an end table on his way to the couch, where he collapsed in a heap. His head was pounding, like someone was trying to get out.
"What the hell was hat about?" He muttered to himself as he tried to calm the visitor in his head
He lay silent for a half an hour when he heard the front door creak open, he lifted his head slightly, just enough to see his mothers face peering down from above him.
"You look terrible kiddo." She said with a heavy dose of motherly concern "What happened?"
Genko rushed in the front door of his apartment and threw his back pack down on the ground. He ran into the kitchen where his mother sat reading the newspaper, her face hidden
"The weirdest thing happened on the way home from school!" he yelled
"Somehow I doubt that." His mother said from behind her paper
"we were walking home like we do everyday, you know along the river bank." He said, excitedly pacing around the room "Then out of nowhere this dude comes speeding up on a bright red Vespa." At the word Vespa his mother's attention had perked "He jumped off and out of nowhere he whaled on Oato with this guitar. Hit him right in the head, Doug and I had to carry him home."
"A guitar?" His mother asked nervously slowly lowering her paper, red hair draping lazily over her face "Was it blue?"
Ninamori stood on the street across from the dilapidated old Nandaba house, she hadn't even thought about in over ten years. He attention shifted as she heard the soft foot steps approaching from one side.
"Hello Sameji." She said turning her head slightly toward the woman
"Eri." Mamimi said stopping and staring at the house "Is it him?" She said quietly, hesitantly "is he finally back?"
"I hope not." Ninamori said as she began to walk across the street, Mamimi in tow
The cracked weather beaten door pushed slowly open,. the two women peeking around the corner, the occasional sound of electrical sparks came from somewhere deep in the house. A bright red Vespa, sat out of place in the center of the front room, it's owner nowhere in sight. They stepped slowly into room looking around apprehensively.
"Ta-ku-" Mamimi began before having her mouth covered by Eri
"He always hated that." Eri said cautiously
"Good point." Mamimi said creeping slowly forward behind Ninamori
They walked toward the laundry room in back, where they could see the faint light of sparks flying. Eri pushed open the door.
"Naota?" She said slowly
The sparks stopped, as the tall dark man stood from a heap of blue metal lying on the floor. He turned around looking at the two women in a familiar way.
"Your back." Mamimi said in a cheerful tone, surprising herself a little
To be continued...