Meh…New chapter…fast, huh? That usually doesn't happen. You'd think that if I could update this quickly, I'd hurry up and finish my Lord of the Rings crack. Ah well. Hate emails don't bug me that much. Many thanks to the reviewers.


Before I faced Medical Mechanica on Earth, I took Takkun away with me for a couple of weeks.

The purpose was to manipulate him and get him to obey my orders, but looking back, I don't know if it was really necessary. In the past, it had taken some persuasion for my other N.O. infected associates to follow me, but Takkun agreed the moment I brought it up. He probably didn't really need it.

I would've had to threaten others with bodily harm, promise them sex, even resort to kidnapping on occasion, but Takkun followed without question (other then to ask where it was I had gone to and cry his eyes out). I was pleasantly surprised.

Then again, maybe it was just the fog getting to him. I had never seen Medical Mechanica smoke that bad before. It was almost getting to me, actually.

I was going to ask him why he followed me so easily but before I could, he asked me, "Why did you come back?"

"To defeat Medical Mechanica, and take what they stole from me," I had said. Then I grinned slyly and giggled, "And to be with you, Takkun…"

"Shut up. That's not what I meant." He paused, and then tried again. "…How could you stand to come back?"

There was something in his tone that confused me, but I can't remember exactly what it was. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…" He seemed unsure of what to say. "If I had a chance to leave Mabase, I'd go and never come back. Anyone would, I think."

"Takkun," I started, stressing the nickname lazily (Mamimi always did that, and I had picked it up from her), "The universe has its share of boring towns, you know?"

"Yeah, but…" He struggled with what to say for a while, then finally whispered, "Nothing amazing happens here."

I smiled slightly. "You always say that. Even when you have robots popping out of your head."

There was another brief pause, then he muttered, "Fine then. Nothing amazing happens here." One more pause, longer then the others. "…Except for you."

He was blushing.

I always liked it when he blushed. He looked like a cuddly stuffed animal. So cuddly, in fact, that I glomped him to the ground. "Takkun! That's so cute!"

"Get off, there's nothing cute about that!"

"Oh yes there is!"

"Dammit, get off!"

"Haha!"

That was the last night before we attacked Medical Mechanica.

Instant Music, Chapter 2

"Get away from me."

I had never seen Ninamori so intimidating. I quickly thought back to when I last saw her and flipped through my actions to see if there was anything I had done to make her apparent hate for me justified. I guess I indirectly activated her N.O., but I didn't think that was the problem this time.

"Sorry, Eri-san! Let me guess, you're in your period? Sucks, doesn't it?"

She just looked at me with her seething hatred, gathered her wits (and her shopping bags), and walked off with a pompous air. I wasn't satisfied with this at all, so I grabbed my fallen Vespa and rode on until I was right next to her.

"It's funny," I said. "I thought you were Takkun at first. Have you seen him anywhere?"

She turned to me with that same infuriated look. "You came back for Naota? After you just abandoned him like that?"

This, for some odd reason, made me angry. "Hey, I had a job to do."

"A job that took you ten years?"

"Yup," I said. "And it would've taken a lesser being twenty!" I pumped my fist into the air, quickly jumping up to stand on the seat of my slowly moving vespa much to the amusement of the passing pedestrians. I was getting over triumphant about my victory again. I would have to stop doing that, or I'd start scaring people away.

Ninamori turned up her nose in disgust. "He was completely incapable of moving on after you left! Do you have any idea what you put him through, you monster?"

'Hell yes, I know what I put him through!' I wanted to yell, my bravado suddenly shattered. 'He confessed his love for me, and what did I do? I left him to grow up in this rotting shell of a town.'

As I sat back down sullenly, a thought came to me; years ago, when Ninamori stayed the night at the bakery to escape the press, it seemed rather obvious to me that she had a thing for Takkun.

I guess that would explain why she was so pissed at me. She was worried about him. And, if he really was incapable of forgetting me, then Ninamoris chances with him were ruined. If that was the case, there was really nothing I could do.

I gave up. This conversation was tiring me out anyway, which was strange. Usually it took much more to get me worked up like this. I turned my vespa around bad temperedly, and turned to Ninamori one more time.

"Where is he?" I couldn't sense Takkuns N.O. no matter how hard I tried. Last time I visited Mabase I could always tell where he was, but I couldn't sense him anywhere. It gave me an odd unsettling feeling. Probably why I felt so oddly angry.

She had her back turned, so I couldn't see her expression. "He left," she said quietly.

"He what?" I couldn't believe it. The Takkun I left years ago seemed incapable doing anything without me.

"He left," she said, louder this time, and then continued quietly as if she was speaking to herself. "It happened awhile ago. Lucky for him. He and Mamimi are the only ones who made it out in time."

I looked at her quizzically. "In time for what?"

"Are you blind?" she said, whirling around and looking at me like I was crazy. "Look around you!"

I scanned the surrounding area. "Seems normal to me," I shrugged.

"Exactly," she spat, her anger returning. "Normal." She spoke this word as if it was the most obscene term in history, gave me one last glare, and walked away briskly.

'Nothing amazing happens here. Except for you.'

His words came to me randomly. Had Mabase really grown that much worse in my absence? I thought I had taught this town a lesson. I had left clearly visible marks. I brought intergalactic battles here. I had taught the citizens to wise up a little, and allow some insanity to filter into their town.

Did they forget? No, not with the Medical Mechanica plant still standing.

Maybe there was just no insanity to filter into the town in the first place.

Perhaps there was a little more to the remaining Medical Mechanica fog then I had first thought.

As I started up my vespa, I remembered that Amarao didn't seem too happy to hear that I had destroyed Medical Mechanica.

'Mabase has enough problems without you!'

'Nonsense, the only problem with Mabase is that it has too few problems in the first place.'

If Ninamori was anything to go by, I was right.

There were darker thoughts nagging at me as well, like something I forgot and didn't want to remember, but I pushed it back down and decided to head over to my old home, Shigekuni Bakery for some answers.

'Nothing amazing happens here. Except for you.'

Takkuns quote was now making me flinch uncomfortably.

Maybe he left my bass at the bakery when he left. Maybe I can get out of here sooner then planned.

Earth (and Takkun) suddenly seemed less inviting.


Heheh. Guilty Haruko. How silly is that? That's waaaaay OOC for Haruko. I think. …Review please. It'll make t3h BHB happy.