Arson of Angels
She was watching FLCL again., that same tape she'd had for almost four years. It was the scene in episode two, just before Nauta would show up on screen. Kiki found these few seconds of the series to be her favorite. Using her left index finger, she pressed the pause button on the remote. The screen froze. Within the 15" T.V., Mamimi could be seen. She was in the middle of her infamous flame ritual, where she knelt in the center of a near-perfect circle of lit cigarettes. A pair of candle lighters, both burning brightly at their tips, were fastened to Mamimis forehead with a white hair band, as she mumbled prayers that would be blocked out by the stereo playing to her right. The dark school uniform, along with the location, made the burned down elementary school seem eerily dark.
Kiki pressed the play button, and the television screen resumed moving. She adored Mamimi and wanted to be just like her. 'Just because she's an anime character, doesn't mean she can't be somebody's idol,' she recalled the main excuse she used whenever someone asked why she adored Mamimi so much.
She lay in her bed, dressed in the exact same outfit Mamimi wore. The dark blue sweater, the short skirt. Kiki had even grown and dyed her hair reddish, so that it virtually matched Mamimis.
Mamimi and Nauta had begun talking on her television as she paced over and shut the window. The wind was picking up again and she didn't want it to blow out the fragrant candles she had lit. Kikis room was a little on the eerie side, the main colors were red and black. Large, red candles were lit in all four corners of the room. Matches, some of them used, as well as a few lighters were scattered on the tops of drawers, her chair, and even a few on the ground. The silvery metal bed stood boldly atop the red carpet of the room, covered with patterned blanket and a pair of pillows. She'd tried to imagine what Mamimis dream room might have looked like, since nothing like that was ever featured in the anime or the manga.
She went over to the closet and turned the knob slowly. The door opened with a creak. Inside, stacked upon one another, were small, metal kegs filled with gasoline. Above them, on a shelf built into the closet, were packs upon packs of cigarettes. Kiki had even taken the time to etch the phase "Never Knows Best" onto each cigarette in every pack.
Kiki picked up one of the packs and made her way back to the bed, closing the closet door behind her. She'd already chosen which kegs to use tonight. Lighting one of the slightly bent cigarettes with her favorite lighter, she placed the rest in the small bag she carried. Kiki inhaled the toxins. She'd stop Endsville from spreading and become recognized by the God of the Black Flame, just like Mamimi. She was truly living out her dream of being just like her idol…
She was watching FLCL again., that same tape she'd had for almost four years. It was the scene in episode two, just before Nauta would show up on screen. Kiki found these few seconds of the series to be her favorite. Using her left index finger, she pressed the pause button on the remote. The screen froze. Within the 15" T.V., Mamimi could be seen. She was in the middle of her infamous flame ritual, where she knelt in the center of a near-perfect circle of lit cigarettes. A pair of candle lighters, both burning brightly at their tips, were fastened to Mamimis forehead with a white hair band, as she mumbled prayers that would be blocked out by the stereo playing to her right. The dark school uniform, along with the location, made the burned down elementary school seem eerily dark.
Kiki pressed the play button, and the television screen resumed moving. She adored Mamimi and wanted to be just like her. 'Just because she's an anime character, doesn't mean she can't be somebody's idol,' she recalled the main excuse she used whenever someone asked why she adored Mamimi so much.
She lay in her bed, dressed in the exact same outfit Mamimi wore. The dark blue sweater, the short skirt. Kiki had even grown and dyed her hair reddish, so that it virtually matched Mamimis.
Mamimi and Nauta had begun talking on her television as she paced over and shut the window. The wind was picking up again and she didn't want it to blow out the fragrant candles she had lit. Kikis room was a little on the eerie side, the main colors were red and black. Large, red candles were lit in all four corners of the room. Matches, some of them used, as well as a few lighters were scattered on the tops of drawers, her chair, and even a few on the ground. The silvery metal bed stood boldly atop the red carpet of the room, covered with patterned blanket and a pair of pillows. She'd tried to imagine what Mamimis dream room might have looked like, since nothing like that was ever featured in the anime or the manga.
She went over to the closet and turned the knob slowly. The door opened with a creak. Inside, stacked upon one another, were small, metal kegs filled with gasoline. Above them, on a shelf built into the closet, were packs upon packs of cigarettes. Kiki had even taken the time to etch the phase "Never Knows Best" onto each cigarette in every pack.
Kiki picked up one of the packs and made her way back to the bed, closing the closet door behind her. She'd already chosen which kegs to use tonight. Lighting one of the slightly bent cigarettes with her favorite lighter, she placed the rest in the small bag she carried. Kiki inhaled the toxins. She'd stop Endsville from spreading and become recognized by the God of the Black Flame, just like Mamimi. She was truly living out her dream of being just like her idol…