Disclaimer: I do not own Furi Kuri, it belongs to Production I.G. and Gainax. The title Hybrid Rainbow is based off the song of the same name from the band The Pillows. References of lyrics are from the translations created by WrexSoul at AnimeLyrics.

Note: The setting of Hybrid Rainbow takes place some months before the time of the FLCL debut. The characters Haruko and Canchi are never introduced in this story, and at this time Tasuku has not left for America.

Hybrid Rainbow: A Prequel
by Anzai Kasamatsu

Chapter One: Can You Feel?

"I don't need you to be criticizing me Tasuku-sama. Just leave me alone," a young boy screamed out. He had on a light blue sweatshirt on him and wearing a red baseball cap. He was stomping his feet on the ground very violently as he was heading toward the door of his room. He was carrying a metallic-looking baseball bat with him, which was dragging by his left side.

A tall slender man was right behind the boy. He was wearing a black windbreaker and some blue jeans. He looked quite a lot older than the adolescent and he seemed to be about six feet and five inches. "You don't need to be so conceited... Where do you suppose you are off to, Naota-kun?" chuckled the man, "You don't even know how to play baseball; for goodness sake, you can't even hit the damn ball." He scoffed at his own comment and dropped his bottom down onto a cotton stuffed mattress lying on the bottom compartment of a wooden bunk bed.

"Hey! Who told you that you could sit on my bed eh? You should ask first, Tasuku-sama, before using other people's utilities, okay?" Naota seemed to be in a harsh mood. His face was flushed with anger, and he just wanted to leave the house, "By the way... I'm practicing for the game against Hotaka, and I can hit the ball, you watch out for it Tasuku-sama... or I'll bat you with this ball here, when you don't know it." Naota was pointing to the ball. Then he carried it with him in his backpack he threw on himself. He knew that Tasuku was a major league baseball player in Japan, and Naota did not even know why he threatened Tasuku with a baseball when he cannot hit the ball in the first place.

"Sure you runt, I'll be careful of your little scheme," he announced sarcastically, "by the way, can you get me one of those spicy breads downstairs for me? I haven't eaten anything." Naota, however, had already walked away to get his mitt in the utility room.

The family owned a small business bakery, a quite popular one in fact in their small town of Mabase. They also carried some groceries here and there, and their father was happy for the tiny shop they had. Their father... also was a semi-popular writer who created a book about the relations of robots and humans, and as well a controversial and slightly pornographic magazine on the lives of Japan called, "Japan Confidential" These two jobs worked out for the family in which they lived a nice, peaceful life.

Tasuku was upset with his brother Naota because of how Naota was doing in school. Naota has been getting failing marks on his report card due to laziness and calling his teacher some names. There were rumors that his teacher worked at a nightclub as a stripper and also a part time prostitute, but then again these were only rumors. Tasuku was trying to help Naota out by telling him what he should have done to get better grades, but Naota took this as criticism to him. The only thing, however, was that Naota was not mad at Tasuku for talking to him, but for another case.

The Day Before

Tasuku came into the bedroom where Naota and he slept on the bunk beds. "Naota-kun! Ta-kun! The Yankees have taken me into their team!" Tasuku was too overjoyed after he received his letter in the mail, in which he opened it very delicately. He gave it to Naota to read. Naota looked down at the letter bewildered to a point that he was a bit dizzy trying to decipher it. After a point of time came to him that he should give up, he finally did.

"What the hell... it's in English. Tasuku-sama... you know I failed my English course... I don't even know what the hell it says here," Naota dropped the paper suddenly to the ground, and he lie down on the bed sheets to rest, "Actually, why are you so excited, and who the hell are the Yankees anyway?"

Tasuku grabbed the letter off the ground and placed it back to his hands. He soundly walked over to the desk and neatly set the English written letter onto the desk. After about five minutes of worshipping it, he went back to Naota with a happy façade on his face.and started to explain to him what everything means. "The Yankees is an American Baseball team, the best all around. They took me in, 'cause I happen to be the best player in all of Japan, and I'm going to be leaving in one month! Isn't that great?" he bragged.

Tasuku was frolicking around like a woman who just got a great discount on her dress. He started getting his luggage in his closet and started filling it with random pieces of baseball equipment and clothes from the market. Naota dropped his upper body onto the pillows that broke the fall of his head. He did not look exactly thrilled, as he lay there motionless on his bed while staring at an area of the wooden surface above. Tasuku was looking at Naota, "Naota are you okay? Hey bud... you okay?" Naota's eyes were wide opened, and Tasuku used his forefingers to check his neck to find a pulse. Tasuku punched each side of Naota's face to see if he could wake up, since Naota was breathing.

It took a while for Naota to stop looking and acting dead, for half an hour after Tasuku punched his cheeks a couple of times. "Hey Ta-kun," he whispered, "Are you alright?" He was trying to be calm and caring. Naota looked like he was just in the wrestling ring, his face was smashed up by the way Tasuku kept punching him.

"Does it look like I'm all right, Tasuku-sama? Does it really look like I'm all right? I've been hit in the face several times, and am I all right? You answer that for me," Naota screamed in a rush of words that he just got out of the room. He raced off with a red swollen cheek towards the field where the bridge meets the stream. He started crying silently by the fresh waters where he would go do his homework. He could not believe that his most faithful brother would leave him alone in a world of people he thought were inferior and not intellectual. He could not believe that there would be no one he could tell his problems too, or tell about how adults act like kids, or why drinks are sour and carbonated. Naota just kept crying out, "Why Tasuku-sama? Why?"

Present Day

A deserted island which seems to have mostly sunk
Not found on any globe, not even named
Yesterday the ship we hoped for came close but
It didn't even come to meet us.

Naota ran right around to the baseball field where the Mabase Fiery held its matches. The baseball field was infamous of its losses due to Naota's effort. For one thing, it is true that he hardly attempts to hit the ball. Someone will pitch the ball towards him, and he will never swing the bat at it. The team has been looking for replacements, but they have had no luck at any. Also, the reason Naota wasn't kicked out of the team was because his grandfather is in charge of everything that goes, and he lives in Naota's house anyway.

The weather was gloomy, and rain started falling through the fluffy clouds in the eternal sky. "Crap, this sucks, what am I going to do now?" mumbled Naota, and he took the ball throwing it against the wall, several times. "My ship hasn't come for me yet," Naota thought as he remembered that there was nothing beneficial to him when Tasuku would leave, "I'll just have to stay isolated from the people I don't trust until Tasuku happens to come back for me." Naota still kept throwing the ball up in the air as it went against the direction of the rain and into the sky, as it disappeared. I wonder what I can do to help me through, Naota thought as the ball came back down through the gravity, as it hit the top of his head, in which he did not carry a helmet with him. He suddenly dropped his body into the mud as the rain began to slowly dwindle down.

Chapter One: Finished

Thank you all for reading my first chapter. Please leave me a review, so I know that you are reading this. I need an amount of reviews to keep this story going, thanks.

Chapter Two Prerequisites: At least 3 Chapter One Reviews