I went to school the next day with my bucket hat on. Ninamori told me it
was lame. She doesn't always know best. After school I went to see Mamimi.
She was playing in the river with her game: Firestarter. I sat on the bank
and did my homework until Mamimi came and put her arms around me. I blushed
lightly; I was used to it. However my face turned deep red when I heard a
familiar voice
"Yo Nandaba! You might want to move!" I turned around to see Spike with his fingers aimed like a gun. "Bang!" he exclaimed while making a shooting motion. Mamimi turned around and looked at him with a curious slightly confused gaze. Spike returned it as he walked down the hill.
"What, what are you doing here?" I asked him still blushing. "I was around, just walking as I spotted you." He looked towards Mamimi. "Ma.who's your friend?" he asked me. Mamimi stood up clutching her game in both hands. I slowly got to my feet. "This is . Samejima Mamimi."It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Samejima, I am Spike Spiegel" said Spike as he bowed to kiss Mamimi's hand. He never took his narrowed eyes off of her face.
···
Well, it was an interesting turn. So, Nandaba's girlfriend is the bounty I'm after. I don't even think they know she has a price on her head. This will get interesting. I stared at Samejima's face; she looked slightly scared and confused. No, it was more than slightly.
I said goodbye to the two and made my way back to the hotel. When Ed and I came home Faye was still fuming but she stayed in her room most of the time. Jet called giving me more stats on the girl. I didn't tell either of them that I had actually met her.
I spent the rest of the say I spent in the hotel reading the magazines I had recently bought. Then I went outside to smoke. I once again saw the smoke billow from the building. Medical Mechanica was what it was called. At least, that's what the magazines said. Everyone talked about it as if it were something big and exciting. It was just a building, even if it was shaped like an iron. Oh well, I guess anything is exciting when you live in a town like Mabase.
···
After school the next day I went to the river but Mamimi wasn't there. I sat by the bank and waited, knowing she would come eventually. By some chance I looked behind me and saw Spike sitting there. His eyes were slightly closed; his eyelids drooped with sleep but I could tell he wasn't sleeping. But he wasn't looking at me. He stared straight ahead as if lost in deep thought. Spike, he seemed like a thinker but he was so carefree. I didn't understand.
I didn't want to wake him from his stupor; that would be rude. But it was unnerving to have him behind me. So I just moved further down the river and tried to do my homework, but eventually I gave up and stared at him. He was so odd, just sitting there, leaning against the concrete support of the bridge. One arm on his upright knee, the other lay limply on the ground next to his other leg. It was so casual, his pose, but his face was so serious. He looked like the statues of the Greek gods on their thrones.
Mamimi still hadn't come. I began to feel bored, and Spike still hadn't moved. Was he even breathing? I decided to find out. I crawled to his side as to not obstruct his view. I peered at his apathetic face and jumped as he turned his head and looked at me with a small smile.
"Yo Nandaba"
I stared at him with an annoyed face but that revoked a confused look from him.
"What did I do? "he asked in a pleading tone. "Um.nothing" I replied quickly. Then I sighed and slid to the ground so I was lying on my back. "Your girlfriend is cute" he said. I turned on my side facing away from him so he couldn't see my face as it slowly turned red. "She's not my girlfriend" I replied quickly. He didn't reply though. "She's.she's my brother's girlfriend." "Oh, you have a brother?" he asked with interest. "Yeah, he's in America playing baseball" I replied still turned away. "Underground America huh? That's cool. Was he good?" "Yeah, he was." We sat in silence for several minutes longer.
"Spike, do you like Haruko?"
"Wha? No, why?" he asked as he turned to me with a look of bewilderment. I looked into his eyes; they held no hint of lying. Instead they sparkled dully, like coals that had not yet been turned into diamonds.
···
"Your eyes are different colors" he said as he kept staring. "Yeah, one is a fake" I replied with a sigh. "Which one?" he asked with surprising interest. "My right; I lost it in a gunfight." I started to reminisce about the past like I was before Naota came over; but refrained because it was probably rude. "My left eye sees the past; my right eye sees the present." I said without thinking. Naota just kept staring at me; it was a little unnerving.
"You.you're a bounty hunter right?"
The question caught me off-guard. "Uh.yeah, I am" I stumbled "How did you know." "Everyone knows who Spike Spiegel is. Well, not too many people know who you are here. I read an article about you once." He trailed off. "Oh yeah?" I responded with new found interest, "Whad' it say?"
"Nothing really, but I figure . you must see a lot of excitement"
"Yo Nandaba! You might want to move!" I turned around to see Spike with his fingers aimed like a gun. "Bang!" he exclaimed while making a shooting motion. Mamimi turned around and looked at him with a curious slightly confused gaze. Spike returned it as he walked down the hill.
"What, what are you doing here?" I asked him still blushing. "I was around, just walking as I spotted you." He looked towards Mamimi. "Ma.who's your friend?" he asked me. Mamimi stood up clutching her game in both hands. I slowly got to my feet. "This is . Samejima Mamimi."It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Samejima, I am Spike Spiegel" said Spike as he bowed to kiss Mamimi's hand. He never took his narrowed eyes off of her face.
···
Well, it was an interesting turn. So, Nandaba's girlfriend is the bounty I'm after. I don't even think they know she has a price on her head. This will get interesting. I stared at Samejima's face; she looked slightly scared and confused. No, it was more than slightly.
I said goodbye to the two and made my way back to the hotel. When Ed and I came home Faye was still fuming but she stayed in her room most of the time. Jet called giving me more stats on the girl. I didn't tell either of them that I had actually met her.
I spent the rest of the say I spent in the hotel reading the magazines I had recently bought. Then I went outside to smoke. I once again saw the smoke billow from the building. Medical Mechanica was what it was called. At least, that's what the magazines said. Everyone talked about it as if it were something big and exciting. It was just a building, even if it was shaped like an iron. Oh well, I guess anything is exciting when you live in a town like Mabase.
···
After school the next day I went to the river but Mamimi wasn't there. I sat by the bank and waited, knowing she would come eventually. By some chance I looked behind me and saw Spike sitting there. His eyes were slightly closed; his eyelids drooped with sleep but I could tell he wasn't sleeping. But he wasn't looking at me. He stared straight ahead as if lost in deep thought. Spike, he seemed like a thinker but he was so carefree. I didn't understand.
I didn't want to wake him from his stupor; that would be rude. But it was unnerving to have him behind me. So I just moved further down the river and tried to do my homework, but eventually I gave up and stared at him. He was so odd, just sitting there, leaning against the concrete support of the bridge. One arm on his upright knee, the other lay limply on the ground next to his other leg. It was so casual, his pose, but his face was so serious. He looked like the statues of the Greek gods on their thrones.
Mamimi still hadn't come. I began to feel bored, and Spike still hadn't moved. Was he even breathing? I decided to find out. I crawled to his side as to not obstruct his view. I peered at his apathetic face and jumped as he turned his head and looked at me with a small smile.
"Yo Nandaba"
I stared at him with an annoyed face but that revoked a confused look from him.
"What did I do? "he asked in a pleading tone. "Um.nothing" I replied quickly. Then I sighed and slid to the ground so I was lying on my back. "Your girlfriend is cute" he said. I turned on my side facing away from him so he couldn't see my face as it slowly turned red. "She's not my girlfriend" I replied quickly. He didn't reply though. "She's.she's my brother's girlfriend." "Oh, you have a brother?" he asked with interest. "Yeah, he's in America playing baseball" I replied still turned away. "Underground America huh? That's cool. Was he good?" "Yeah, he was." We sat in silence for several minutes longer.
"Spike, do you like Haruko?"
"Wha? No, why?" he asked as he turned to me with a look of bewilderment. I looked into his eyes; they held no hint of lying. Instead they sparkled dully, like coals that had not yet been turned into diamonds.
···
"Your eyes are different colors" he said as he kept staring. "Yeah, one is a fake" I replied with a sigh. "Which one?" he asked with surprising interest. "My right; I lost it in a gunfight." I started to reminisce about the past like I was before Naota came over; but refrained because it was probably rude. "My left eye sees the past; my right eye sees the present." I said without thinking. Naota just kept staring at me; it was a little unnerving.
"You.you're a bounty hunter right?"
The question caught me off-guard. "Uh.yeah, I am" I stumbled "How did you know." "Everyone knows who Spike Spiegel is. Well, not too many people know who you are here. I read an article about you once." He trailed off. "Oh yeah?" I responded with new found interest, "Whad' it say?"
"Nothing really, but I figure . you must see a lot of excitement"