Addict by Khursten Santos

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Disclaimer: FLCL is copyrighted to Gainax. All the characters used in this story are only for fanfiction purposes. The author holds no personal right to the characters, but the story stays true to be hers and only hers. Any signs of plaigiarism won't be tolerated.
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PROLOGUE

Haruko stood by the mountain path, looking at the sea that was once keenly familiar to her. The yellow sea reflected the afternoon sky; with stretches of pink & orange clouds that dotted the view of the city she could never forget.

I love you.

Haruko took a whiff of the sea breeze and hopped on to her moped, speeding down the road all the way to the city.

1st State : Stalker

"Now everyone, would you please hold on to your text books and read chapter 12 on 'The Universe'. Nandaba-kun, read the first paragraph."

Naota stood from his seat and grabbed his textbook.

"The Universe consists of all matter, light and other forms of radiation and energy. It consists of everything that exists anywhere in space and time. The universe includes…"

A distinct memory rippled in Naota's head as he read on.

The Universe…

…Haruko.


It has been 5 years since he had seen Haruko speed off in her moped, yet Naota could still envision that enigmatic ending scene in his head. Haruko subtly grinning, her guitar strapped at her back.

Want to come with me?

At that moment, he didn't know what to say. He wanted to come, hoping to experience the extraordinary. When Haruko was around, everything was different.

Living was different.

Living was exciting.

-

"Naota! Naota! Want to watch a movie tonight? I heard of this movie with Miko Lee in it. I heard it's really… enticing." Gaku spoke calling the attention of the dazed Naota. Naota looked at him with sarcasm then fell back into a lymphatic state.

"Well… I heard it rocks! With lots really nasty scenes in it! 'Come On! Mabase' said-" Gaku's sentence ended abruptly as Ninamori grabbed his magazine and looked at the article.

"Tweaking in different directions." Ninamori threw the magazine away and leaned on Naota's desk. " -your grandfather's taking advantage of Canti too much. I assume he got him to fly to Tokyo just to get a video copy of this." Naota ignored his classmates and continued to stare blankly at the direction of Medical Mechanica.

Now, just do it the way I taught you.

"NAOTA!"

"What is it now?" he snapped at Ninamori who was rather appalled by his sudden outburst.

"You aren't going to watch such a perverted movie, are you?" Ninamori asked with much sarcasm as Gaku and Masatsu waited for his answer with much enthusiasm.

"I have baseball practice. I can't watch the movie." Naota slumped lower in his seat as the bell rang. Ninamori stood straight and whacked Naota hardly in the head.

"Naota no baka." She muttered as she moved back to her seat.

"What the hell is with her?" Naota thought as he returned to his lethargic state.

Come here! And don't let that woman manipulate you!

"Nobody's being manipulated. I did it because I wanted to. I did it because-" Naota found himself lost in his thoughts as he returned gazing at the Medical Mechanica Factory.

-

"NICE SWING NANDABA-KUN!" The batting coach looked at the sky, following the ball across the horizon. Naota tapped the soil off his shoes to go for another swing.

"Try to hit a homer, like what your brother did two nights ago." Spoke the batting coach with much motivation. Lately, Naota's brother has gained more than their town's admiration, but of the whole Japan's as well. As famous as Ichiro, his brother has become one of the most celebrated Japanese sportsmen in America.

Naota looked towards the ball curving towards him.

"Try hitting it into the sky."

Naota's eyes opened wide as he swore he heard that familiar voice, the wind still echoing around him.

"STRIKE!" cried their team's catcher as he caught the ball right on to his mitt.

Naota looked around to see where it had come from. Was it he… or was it something he did hear.

"Oi Naota! Try concentrating on the next pitch." The batting coach gave a signal to the pitcher to give Naota another curve.

As the pitcher took his stance, Naota straightened his elbows and raised his bat. The pitcher took a step back and hastily threw the ball towards Naota. Curving, the ball was easily assessed by Naota to be an easy hitter. If he has done hitting galactic bombs off space- then this curve ball was nothing.

This was nothing.

"Great!" the batting coach exclaimed as he watched the ball spin out of the field.

-

"Ninamori." Naota uttered as he saw Eri Ninamori standing in front of his vespa.

"You were too dazed earlier I forgot to tell you that I'd ride with you tonight." Ninamori explained as she hopped on to the backseat.

"What-!?"

"Came from a student council meeting. Figured it would end the same time as your baseball practice. Took the initiative to just be here and wait for you."

"Why are you doing this?" Naota rolled his eyes in sheer annoyance and straddled on to his vespa.

"I love the feeling of the wind on my face." She answered as she wrapped her arms around Naota the moment he started the engine. Naota lifted the pedal of his moped, and sped out of the school grounds.

Ninamori held on to Naota tighter. "So warm…" She thought as the cold wind rushed through her hair, her chest resting on Naota's back. For a moment, Ninamori had found a comfortable place to be in. With Naota, in his vespa.

Ninamori gazed at the clear evening sky, watching stars taken in by some galactic gravity, falling rapidly across the atmosphere. "Nice." She murmured as Naota came to a stop by the railroad tracks.

"What?"

"Look!" Ninamori pointed to the sky and showed Naota the stars shooting across the sky. Naota took a glimpse and he too was a bit mesmerized by the clear sky. Thoughts of Haruko came to mind once more. Where could she be? Has she found Atomsk?

"Hn. That should be the least of my concern. Why should I care about that infantile alien?" Naota snorted as he heard the train chugging near the track. Just as he looked ahead, he heard a familiar whirring. Ninamori, who has found solace on Naota's back, got startled as Naota's body stiffened.

"What is it?"

Naota sat in shock. His eyes not inching away from those light amber eyes he remembered so well. The train then disrupted his view as it ran in front of him.

Through small spaces in between the trains, he could still see that smug smile, and that yellow vespa. The continuous whirring of the vespa before him sounded clearer despite of the train's rumble. It's her. She's back. She's definitely back!

"Haruko!" he called out loud, leaping off his seat as he tried to see more of her through the train. Ninamori got off balance and fell off her seat. She couldn't understand what's happening, all she could see was the childish excitement in Naota's face as he shouted-

"HARUKO! HARUKO!!"

The last cart of the train was approaching, and in a moment, Naota could see things a lot clearer.

"What the hell are you shouting in the middle of the night?" Ninamori cleaned her uniform and hopped back on to the vespa.

Naota stood frozen as the lights turned green.

"Naota!"

Naota took a glance at his back and looked again at his front.

She was gone.

"NAOTA!!" Ninamori screamed in anger. "I've got to go home!" Naota turned around with childish excitement away from his face. His brows curled, and his mouth silent.

"Fine. Let's go." He mumbled as he accelerated out of the railroad tracks. Naota saw someone a while ago. Whoever it was, it was certainly someone that made him happier than the way Ninamori had made him happy. The name rang bells in Ninamori's head, but she just wasn't too sure.

"Haruko…" She whispered as she looked at fields by the river. The moon's light reflected on an area by the riverbanks, and Ninamori could see a woman by her moped, holding a guitar. She was looking at the two of them with haughty eyes. Her pale skin said less of her energetic smile. Ninamori gazed at the woman as the woman's smile turned into a cackle.

"Weird woman." Ninamori uttered last as she snuggled closer to Naota.

-

"I'm home." Naota spoke as he dropped his shoes by the entrance. He was too tired from practice and was hoping to have a hot bowl of soba to relax.

"CANTI! Where's my dinner?" Naota yelled as he scoured the kitchen for something to eat. It was impossible that their domestic robot hadn't cooked dinner. He would've received all the scolding from his father. But the more that Naota looked into their kitchen, the more he found no dinner to eat.

"Canti must've forgotten I'm eating dinner here."

"No he didn't."

Naota turned around to see a familiar smile he had always dreamt of…

"You want some curry soba, …"

He walked closer as the person's silhouette has become clearer to him.

"… Ta-kun?"

"Haruko!"