"I am... telling you... you shouldn't..."
He panted, forcing his thin voice to make himself heard, though he knew he was making no headway into his quarry. When it came to this... he really wasn't heard at all.
Trotting behind his back in anxiety, he couldn't see his face, but he could well imagine the furrowed, stubborn eyebrows and the narrowed eyes fixed on his only objective.
After all, it was him who had noticed the fence gap that was left unguarded and leapt up with little ceremony. Once he saw the rocket, the die was cast. There was little hope of stopping a runaway train, and the same could be said of his friend.
"Wait! Look, there is a guard over there! You don't want to get in trouble for th-!"
No response and no sign that he had heard anything. He continued in long, firm strides towards the only thing that mattered.
Only... he wasn't the only one who was stubbornly fixed on the rocket.
"Aoi-kun, wait!"
The junior astronaut stood in front of the rocket, arms extended, alert, tense and frowning darkly. He was a tall guy, but his opponent stood a few inches above his height, a stare mirroring the same tension.
Two spiky heads. One dark, the other purple... The resemblance was uncanny and yet... the energy was different.
Hosuke froze. With an audible gasp, the intruder's companion stopped too.
He tried to consider the situation logically. They were equally numbered... and by the looks of it, they could easily overpower the newcomers. With this in mind, he felt relaxed, and decided to dash towards the second intruder, who gave a weak cry and lifted his arms to protect himself.
"Give 'im the ol' one-two, Shuichi... I've got matters ta' settle 'ere" the taller one grunted, his eyes still clashing with the junior astronaut's steely gaze.
"Not if I settle those matters first" Aoi's reply came through clenched teeth.
"Aoi-kun, easy, they're kids" warned Hosuke, only too aware of the scared teen he had in front of him.
The atmosphere turned so cold that the lawyer had the distinct feeling of being in outer space himself. The air around the two defiant contenders turned icy, and it felt like electric surges were surrounding them.
After what seemed an eternity, hands flew at the same time from both sides.
Daichi's hand got the intruder's collar.
The intruder's hand slammed hard the rocket's base.
"Momota-kun!"
It was more a plead than a warning or anything. Hosuke stared at the frail teenager... until now, he had been cowering in front of him and didn't seem to be in half of a mind to do anything. But as soon as things became physical...
"I'm... done here"
The voice sounded rough, hoarse, but relieved of a burden.
"You ruddy well aren't!"
Hosuke did a double take. It had been a while since he had heard the junior astronaut's voice bellow at full volume. Boy, he wouldn't like to be in the skin of anyone who made Aoi Daichi angry...
But the guy named Momota seemed thoroughly unconcerned.
He pulled his hand off the rocket and... walked a step back.
That startled the junior astronaut, who let go of his collar and waited, hands fisted, for another approach.
Which didn't come.
Nose up in the air, hands jarred at each side, the newcomer seemed to be lost in contemplation. The ocassional muttering was inintelligible for everyone but Daichi, who was still two steps away from him, and seemed surprised about what he heard.
"Okay, officer" he said harshly, breaking his train of thought. "Arrest me if ya' want. I kinda deserve it fer'trespassin','fter all"
"Officer?!" Aoi looked confused, while his lawyer friend broke in laughter. He did, after all, look the part of a police deputy, with his sempiternal visor and white gloves...
"Wait, if y'are not an officer, then why the hell were ya' lookin' so fussed over this?"
"Because" confidence sort of brimmed out of the junior astronaut's now relaxed shoulders "I'm going to travel in this spacecraft, in my first mission as an astronaut!"
Two purple pupils looked at the jacket, with a grunted huff that looked like he had recognized something.
"Tch... Astronaut, you?"
Oh, no.
"Got a problem with that?" Tensing again, the bandaged-nose young man advanced another step, eyes narrowed.
"Problem?" The other guy looked sideways, as if saying something he'd rather not. "With you takin' this trip before Momota Kaito, Ultimate Astronaut, famous even in outer space? No, not one problem. Why should I? Jealous, me? Not a chance!"
It was Aoi's turn no make a double-take.
"How... YOU are an astronaut?! Just... how old are you?!"
"Old enough ta' ace the astronaut exam before turnin' 20!"
"Wha- That's not... possible"
"An' I say I can make it so!"
"Oh? Then prove it!"
"You prove it first!"
Their exchange was of such energy level, they were almost nose-to-nose again.
Hosuke turned to the kid named Shuichi, equal sweatdrops skidding down their temples...
"Is he really an astronaut?" he asked, his face incredulous.
"Ah, um..."
"Say it loud, Shuichi. What if I had ta' lie 'bout me age ta' be admitted? What if I am a trainee? What if others go ta' space before I do? I will still go places no one has ever gone ta', mark me words!"
A smile appeared in the junior astronaut's face.
"So I figured. You were mumbling 'multi-layer insulation' and 'radioisotope heater units'. It takes either the geekest of nerds or an astronaut trainee to know that!"
"Ah, you heard" Kaito scratched the back of his head in a reflexive sort of motion. When he raised his head, he looked cheerful in a childishly confident sort of way. "So, if y'are not gonna arrest me, then take me to your mission commander!"
"Ah... Hoshinari-san is... uhhh... not available right now" Aoi was aware of how sheepish he sounded. But if there was something the triggered mission commander didn't need right now, was anyone reminding him of his prior venture into space... "He is preparing to take control of the new expedition. It's better not to add too much pressure on him."
Kaito's reaction was a wide grin.
"It won't take long! I just want to tell my new sidekick, the HAT-1 hero, a few tips for his outer space adventure"
"Sidekick?! You are not surely refering to...?!"
Aoi looked in bewilderment at his friend, then at Shuichi, who looked a tad ashamed.
His fringe drooping in defeat, now positively sweating rivers, one phrase formed in Hosuke's mind.
"Chuunibyou"
