Disclaimer: I don't own nothing… at least I wish I didn't own nothing.
A/N: You know, I figured at least one of you would give the challenge of making Naota stay… well its for the best. Hope you like it!
Chapter 2: Revelations and Romance?
Naota couldn't believe it. Not only was Amarao coming for him any minute, but now "she" was back. Haruko was back.
He was in shock. However, what kind of shock it was eluded him. He, understandably, was afraid of what was about to happen, but there was a strong feeling of excitement and an adrenaline rush as well. He didn't get a chance to think about it because he heard someone enter the house downstairs. He grabbed his guitar, and that's when he heard it, loud guitar chords and soon singing…
You easily get angry over trifles...
He didn't care for long as he started envisioning the fun he was about to have. He took the guitar and ran for the stairs.
Take this seriously 'cause it's important.
He grinded down the banister and landed perfectly, and brought his eyes to his enemy's, who at the time had his eyes transfixed on the shackle and guitar.
Please don't lose your temper or get excited.
"Well, well, look what Rahal's brought you. Lets see if you can use it."
I still have a great deal more to tell you.
"Don't worry about that, just about what I'll do to you, eyebrows."
I want to see you again someday...
Just then Kitsurubami entered with a bazooka ready to fire.
So leave me alone away with you...
"What, you'll pay for that!" Amarao yelled, grabbing the bazooka from his assistant. Her thinking to herself, "He's right you know."
You good for nothing also mock...
"Hey, narrator what a second."
"What is it?"
"When did this become a songfic? I thought you told me you wouldn't do that. I hate..."
"Sour stuff?"
"Shut up, I hate songfics."
"Fine... back to normal."
The music stopped as the narrator returned to his duties.
Amarao, coming out of his confusion over the recent conversation, continued the battle by firing on Naota. However a quick dodge, as Naota leaped forward to attack, rendered the rocket useless, aside from effectively destroying the back wall of the nearest building. His dodge left Amarao off guard and a defenseless target for the double-necked guitar that soon made contact with his face. The force knocked him through the front wall and out onto the street.
Naota ran out and over to the already awakening form of Amarao. On the way he flipped his guitar so the shotgun barrel encased in one of the necks was directed at his enemy. By the time Naota had gotten into point blank range Amarao had managed to retrieve one of his pistols. The two were in the same position that Haruko and Amarao had assumed during the salon fight scene in Bura Bure. Amarao said, "Rahal has taught you well. Now there's only one question, do ya feel lucky, huh, punk. Go ahead, make my day."
Naota's response was, "Sure." He was about to blow Amarao's head off when he realized what he was doing and instead shot the pavement and, being the jumpy coward he was about getting hit at close rage, Amarao passed out. He realized that Kitsurubami was behind him with a gun, "Canti get her gun."
As if out nowhere Canti came up behind her and, as gently as possible, took her gun. She spun around and looked up at the giant behind her. The surprise of having such a large robot come up behind her was enough to distract her long enough for Naota to knock her out with his guitar.
It was then that he came out of the second trance a guitar had caused him. He took one last look at his handiwork before running off to his appointment.
He stopped less than halfway completely out of breath. While he stood there slightly hunched over, his guitar slid off his back and landed strings down. He saw it and remembered the secondary usage for the motor now facing him, flight. He picked up the guitar's neck, leaving the body on the ground, and grabbed hold of the ripcord and pulled as hard as he could. The motor roared to life. Naota stood there for a moment, as the guitar purred like an idle chainsaw, wondering if should go on. He wasn't being encouraged by the shackle or the guitar this time. It was all Naota now. If he jumped into the air of his own will it would mean he had accepted Haruko's offer to join the madness and chaos of what she had said so many times during her stay... Furi Kuri. Strangely as he thought those two words they seemed to escape out into the air as he said them quietly. To him, they sounded, normal. He smiled and thought about the advice Haruko once gave him, "Yeah that's it! Now all you have to do is swing the bat."
Everything around him went dark and a spotlight focused on him from the heavens. He lifted the guitar and jumped as high as he could into the air, and as he reached the peak of his jump the guitar carried him towards the sky. He leveled out and stopped, at least one hundred feet up, and looked down at the city of Mabase. The city that would hold him captive no longer.
Once he stopped staring downwards he flew towards the bridge where he first met the one he was going to meet. As he came closer he descended until his feet were once again on solid ground. No sooner than he had landed, he heard a near deafening cry of, "Hey Ta-kun!" and the devastating blow of the guitar that knew his head so well. He recovered quickly and looked upon his assailant.
There she stood, looking as young as she had the day she left, even though it had been several years since they had last seen each other. She had the guitar resting on her shoulder and had a large smile on her face. "So, Ta-kun, happy to see me?" she asked.
He was speechless. For so long now he had been looking forward to this, but now words wouldn't come. She decided to speak for him, "Well, with that look on your face, I bet that's a yes."
He stood up. "Haruko..."
"How cute. So are you still so in love with me that you can't talk?" she asked, overly dramatic.
He managed a meager, "Yes."
"Still my little Ta-kun!" She pulled him into a bone-crushing embrace. "Or maybe..." She loosened her grip and spoke in a tone suitable for a hentai film, "You'd enjoy a little more mouth... to... mouth."
"No!" he yelled pulling away, his face a deep shade of red.
"Your face doesn't lie Ta-kun... and neither does that," she said looking below normal eye level.
He was caught off guard and found himself turned around, redder than before. "Grow up," he said, slightly angry.
"Ok Ta-kun, when did you get the shackle?" she said, becoming strangely serious.
"A few minutes after I got home from school yesterday. Why?"
"Have you felt weird lately?" she asked continuing her interrogation.
"Yeah, every time I touch a guitar I start acting like you. What's going on?"
She answered him this time, "Looks like Atomsk-kun left a little of himself in you, Ta-kun. Guess this means you're a pirate now."
"What?" he said, his voice raised a little.
"There are three powers in space: the Galactic Space Police Brotherhood, the damned Medical Mechanica, and the pirates. Pirates can be either god or bad, depending on the person. Atomsk is the pirate king; no one can beat him, until now that is. He's been on the run since you released him on top of that iron."
"And what about you. What's your story?"
"Me? Well, I guess I can trust a pirate with the truth. First off, my real name is Haruha Rahal, though you can call me Haruko as long as I get to call you Ta-kun. I was part of the Galaxy Space Police Brotherhood until I decided they were boring, then I took my guitar and stole a hyper-flight Vespa."
"And what about Atomsk?" he asked, recalling what Amarao had said about the pirate king, "What exactly do you want from him?"
She smiled, "Well, I said I'd tell the truth," she paused for a second," Power. You see Ta-kun, Atomsk is powerful, but he can be used like a tool. Only a few can control him, and I'm one of them. And I want that power."
"Who is Atomsk, what exactly is he."
"The closest thing to a god there is in this world. I guess he's kinda the god of guitars. Have you ever read Norse mythology?"
"A little." He said, a bit confused.
"Think of him as Odin, and you're holding Gunir."
"And you're Loki trying to get your hands on it." He said with a smile.
"Yep."
"So how am I supposed to know you're telling the truth this time?"
"I promise its true, pirates honor."
" Well that's probably the best I'm going to get," he said, settling for what she had given him.
"So, I guess you're coming with me this time, partner."
"It's better than staying here, even if I'm going to wind up in prison."
"Well, you better go say your goodbyes, we won't be back here for a long time. We'll leave in two days." She said, walking over to her Vespa.
As she got on Naota asked, "Where are you going?"
"To your place, I've gotta go say hi to Mon-chan," she said before shooting off towards Naota's house.
"She never changes," he said, smiling at the fact that finally was leaving the city once and for all.
He walked off trying to figure out how to explain this to everyone, leaving his purple haired observer all alone sitting on the ground her back against the support that she had hidden behind. Ninamori had seen the two talking and had slid down from the sidewalk to where she had listened as best she could to the conversation. She walked back to her house also wondering how Naota was going to explain. She would be pondering until the next day.
Both his father and grandfather had agreed right off, probably due to a bit of sweet-talking by Haruko, and it was easy enough to explain to Masashi and Chuu-kun (Gaku's unfortunate nickname) but Naota thought it best to leave Ninamori waiting.
Well, the next day came and it was time to tell Ninamori. He had decided to leave his guitar at home so she wouldn't have a weapon to use against him. She had greeted him and let him in with a strangely solemn look, and as soon as the door shut Naota knew he was in trouble. "Why, Naota?"
"Because its my one ticket out of here."
She lowered her head and walked over to the door. "You should go now," she said opening the door again.
Naota decided it would be best to just leave. He walked out and heard the click of the door shutting. It was then he realized that he had a second person spying on him in as many days. "Haruko," he said looking over to one of the bushes beside the door, "I can hear you in there." No answer was given. He looked into the bush and yanked on the pink spot he could see through the leaves, "And your hair doesn't help you either."
"Hi, Ta-kun," she said, brushing herself off, "How'd it go?"
"Badly," he said simply before walking off with a depressed look on his face.
She sighed and said to herself, "Depression and teens…" before following him.
That night was sort of melancholy for Naota. He ignored everyone at dinner and went back up to his room. Haruko followed him up and took her usual place. "She's waiting for you, you know that right?" she said smiling, "Why don't you go for it?"
He was out the door and at the bridge before he knew what was going on, and there she was, looking down at the water. "Ninamori!" he called out.
She turned and looked at him as her ran up to her, "Did you think I was going to jump?" she asked.
"I wasn't sure."
"Well then, you don't know me very well. Besides, I wouldn't want you or me to go without you knowing something." She walked over to him and stood very close to him, "and I decided to tell you after you left my place today."
"What do you want me to know?" he said his face red.
"That I love you," with that she quickly leaned over and kissed him, the same way Naota had kissed Haruko so long ago.
Naota didn't try to break the kiss; he just let Ninamori continue until she ended it. Afterward all Naota could manage was a weak, "Ninamori…"
"Hmm… I've wanted to do that for a while… So, um… how do you feel about me?"
His face turned red, and he wasn't sure what to say. He had always thought that he loved Haruko, but here he was with his heart beating quickly from just looking into Ninamori's eyes after having kissed her. He just stood there.
"Well…" she asked, getting slightly anxious.
His mind flashed back to when he and Haruko where sitting on her Vespa eating ramen while watching the steam come from the iron, and another thing she had said came to his mind, "Then I guess I'll just have to let bad things happen to me." This was a perfect example, what did he have to lose from saying what he thought?
"Ninamori… I love you too," with those words, his feelings for her became as real as the words and he forgot all about Haruko.
"Naota-kun," she said smiling, though she stopped as she realized something, "what about you and Haruko?"
The fact hit hard, he would have to choose one or the other, then he thought of a way he could try both, "Well, I could come back sometime."
"But Naota…"
"Please Ninamori-chan, this is the one chance I have. I can't pass it up."
"Oh," she said her angst returning, "well, you should go prepare for tomorrow then…" She turned her back on him and walked off, thinking, and not hearing his pleas.
The next day came and they found themselves at the bridge once more, he had said his last goodbyes, except to Ninamori who was nowhere to be found. Haruko strangely hadn't made fun of since he had gotten back, but Naota wasn't going to complain. Except Haruko wasn't going to leave him alone, "So, you sure you want to go without kissing you girl goodbye?"
"Lets just go," he said as Haruko started the scooter. They began to climb higher into the air, but stopped when they heard someone calling for Naota, a young woman stood nearby with a backpack, it was Ninamori. "Hold it right there Ta-kun," she yelled, "I'm coming too!"