WGYWKY
A/N: AAAACKTHP! Longest... writer's block... EVER! Actually, a huge load of schoolwork didn't help things, but you get the idea. Thanks for those guys that actually waited for this chapter to surface...
00000110: Falling Anvils
Ninamori sighed, huddling in the coridoor beside their room, and took a long drink from the can of Rockstar. It had been one of those weeks... first that crazy alien shows up, then Naota becomes some sort of musical version of that guy from the cyber-kung-fu movie...and she discovered that she could yank stuff out of her head, an ordeal that was even worse because of that stupid Vespa woman.
"Hey." Naota walked in, sitting down beside her. He was drenched in sweat, and his eyes had the kind of dark circles under them that the goth types can never get quite right with their makeup, but he seemed... almost happy.
"What do you want?" It wasn't a snappy, cynical demand like it normally was - this time her voice seemed to give off a thick cloud of weariness.
"Just to talk... and to find out where you got that energy drink."
"I guess Os is working you pretty hard."
"He's got a good reason to... I mean, I'm gonna have to be able to protect myself from now on."
"...why?"
"What do you mean? We're going to war."
"I mean... why did Atomsk choose you?" She paused, eyes watering. "Why us? Why Earth?"
"Ni-"
"Everything was back to normal! We could've gone on without anything else happening... and now..." She choked back what would've been a sob. "Unlike you, I had a -life-, Naota! And now I can't go back... everyone at school just stares at me, mumbling about the stupid aliens... they've ruined my LIFE!" By now she was actually crying, although her hands were still clenched in something more akin to frustration than anger. "...nothing's ever going to be normal again, is it...?"
"...No." Naota shrugged. There was no reason to lie. "Even when this is over, people are going to remember. There's no one on Earth that hasn't heard about this."
"And you're happy about this?!" She chucked the half-empty can at the wall, making a satisfying "DING".
"No. If anything, I'm scared stiff. You've seen Atomsk's crest, right?" The strange six-pronged symbol glowed on his forehead as he spoke, casting a faint red-white light.
"Well, duh, Naota. Everyone has."
"You know what it is, don't you?"
"...no..." Her voice had quieted to little more than a whisper.
"Crosshairs." He managed a weak smile. "A reminder that no matter where I go, I'm a target. The heir of Atomsk... the Pirate King... and all of his vendettas." A long pause. "I don't know what's going to happen. And somehow... I can live with that. Come on, Eri. Your parents barely acknowledge your existence, everyone in town either thinks you're a prat because of your upbringing or a punk because you hang out with me, and I know that Tokyo U sent you a rejection letter last week." Ninamori's eyes popped open. How did - "There's nothing left for either of us there now. I'd rather face death and actually live on the way there than another lifetime of dying slowly in Mabase."
"Then you're going through with it?"
"How can't I?" She nodded softly.
"...Then I'm staying too..."
"You sure?"
"I'm only here because you are, Naota. I thought you had figured that out by now." Naota blinked.
"...Really...?" She groaned.
"Oh, jeez... Can I make this any more obvious?" She threw her arms around him, attacking him with what was probably the sloppiest hickey of his life.
"HEY! STOP! CUT IT OUT! I'M NOT... heehee... NOt... heeeheee..." The kiss quickly turned into a tickle fight, one which he lost badly. And had an amazing time doing.
(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)
Mamimi stared at the ceiling. Her photos were coming along beautifully, but as always, something was horribly wrong.
Kanchi.
The crew had all but confined him to his room after the first time they saw him. She stared at her love, the strange robotty thing that had been her only friend for years, while the words of the pirates rang in her ears.
"Get that thing out of here!"
"Medical Mechanica scum... keep it away! You can't trust it as far as you can throw it!"
"I've spent my life fighting these things. I ain't servin' beside one."
She gently stroked the monitor that served as Kanchi's noggin, letting out a deep sigh. "It's okay. They'll get used to you..." He let out a noncommital 'beep'. There were some things that would just take time.
TBC..
A/N: AAAACKTHP! Longest... writer's block... EVER! Actually, a huge load of schoolwork didn't help things, but you get the idea. Thanks for those guys that actually waited for this chapter to surface...
00000110: Falling Anvils
Ninamori sighed, huddling in the coridoor beside their room, and took a long drink from the can of Rockstar. It had been one of those weeks... first that crazy alien shows up, then Naota becomes some sort of musical version of that guy from the cyber-kung-fu movie...and she discovered that she could yank stuff out of her head, an ordeal that was even worse because of that stupid Vespa woman.
"Hey." Naota walked in, sitting down beside her. He was drenched in sweat, and his eyes had the kind of dark circles under them that the goth types can never get quite right with their makeup, but he seemed... almost happy.
"What do you want?" It wasn't a snappy, cynical demand like it normally was - this time her voice seemed to give off a thick cloud of weariness.
"Just to talk... and to find out where you got that energy drink."
"I guess Os is working you pretty hard."
"He's got a good reason to... I mean, I'm gonna have to be able to protect myself from now on."
"...why?"
"What do you mean? We're going to war."
"I mean... why did Atomsk choose you?" She paused, eyes watering. "Why us? Why Earth?"
"Ni-"
"Everything was back to normal! We could've gone on without anything else happening... and now..." She choked back what would've been a sob. "Unlike you, I had a -life-, Naota! And now I can't go back... everyone at school just stares at me, mumbling about the stupid aliens... they've ruined my LIFE!" By now she was actually crying, although her hands were still clenched in something more akin to frustration than anger. "...nothing's ever going to be normal again, is it...?"
"...No." Naota shrugged. There was no reason to lie. "Even when this is over, people are going to remember. There's no one on Earth that hasn't heard about this."
"And you're happy about this?!" She chucked the half-empty can at the wall, making a satisfying "DING".
"No. If anything, I'm scared stiff. You've seen Atomsk's crest, right?" The strange six-pronged symbol glowed on his forehead as he spoke, casting a faint red-white light.
"Well, duh, Naota. Everyone has."
"You know what it is, don't you?"
"...no..." Her voice had quieted to little more than a whisper.
"Crosshairs." He managed a weak smile. "A reminder that no matter where I go, I'm a target. The heir of Atomsk... the Pirate King... and all of his vendettas." A long pause. "I don't know what's going to happen. And somehow... I can live with that. Come on, Eri. Your parents barely acknowledge your existence, everyone in town either thinks you're a prat because of your upbringing or a punk because you hang out with me, and I know that Tokyo U sent you a rejection letter last week." Ninamori's eyes popped open. How did - "There's nothing left for either of us there now. I'd rather face death and actually live on the way there than another lifetime of dying slowly in Mabase."
"Then you're going through with it?"
"How can't I?" She nodded softly.
"...Then I'm staying too..."
"You sure?"
"I'm only here because you are, Naota. I thought you had figured that out by now." Naota blinked.
"...Really...?" She groaned.
"Oh, jeez... Can I make this any more obvious?" She threw her arms around him, attacking him with what was probably the sloppiest hickey of his life.
"HEY! STOP! CUT IT OUT! I'M NOT... heehee... NOt... heeeheee..." The kiss quickly turned into a tickle fight, one which he lost badly. And had an amazing time doing.
(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)
Mamimi stared at the ceiling. Her photos were coming along beautifully, but as always, something was horribly wrong.
Kanchi.
The crew had all but confined him to his room after the first time they saw him. She stared at her love, the strange robotty thing that had been her only friend for years, while the words of the pirates rang in her ears.
"Get that thing out of here!"
"Medical Mechanica scum... keep it away! You can't trust it as far as you can throw it!"
"I've spent my life fighting these things. I ain't servin' beside one."
She gently stroked the monitor that served as Kanchi's noggin, letting out a deep sigh. "It's okay. They'll get used to you..." He let out a noncommital 'beep'. There were some things that would just take time.
TBC..