"His name is Jakun" Haruko began. Naota was laying on his couch, an
ice pack pressed firmly against his forehead. Haruko paced back and forth
across the small living room, her heads clasped behind her back. They both
tried their best to ignore the sirens outside.
"Well, I told you I was fired after I failed to catch Atomsk. Jakun was the one who got my job." Naota sat up, letting the ice pack slip off his head. He watched Haruko as she paced, his head going back and forth.
"So why is he trying to kill you?"
"Well, remember when I said my bosses were pissed because I failed?"
"Yeah..."
"Well...they were really, really, REALLY pissed."
"Oh..."
"He's been chasing me for a while now. I thought I'd lost him when I came back to Earth to look for you. But he caught up to me when I stopped in Mabase to search."
"It was you!" Naota said, standing up now. The ice pack fell from his hand, spilling ice cubes all over the floor. "You were the one who destroyed the Medical Mechanica factory!"
"Well, I had to defend myself!" Haruko said, sounding almost offended. There was a knock at the door. The both of them fell silent. They stood, frozen to the spot, waiting till the knocking eventually stopped. A few moments later the sound of footsteps going back down the hallway signaled them, and they both let out heavy sighs of relief.
"Did you do this too?" Naota said, his voice a bit quieter now. He pointed to his forehead, where the N-O Zone had opened.
"No. I don't know how that happened. Maybe he did it."
"No way. He looked just as confused as you did."
"It made him go away, didn't it? Don't question it, just be thankful."
There was more knocking at the door now. They were both silent again. This time however, a familiar voice gave Naota some comfort.
"Naota? Naota, are you there?" Mamiri said from behind the door. Naota smiled with relief.
"Hey, isn't that...?" Haruko said as she started for the door.
"No!" Naota shouted. He tackled Haruko from behind and squirmed with her on the floor for a moment. He found himself laying on top of Haruko, his hands keeping her arms pinned over her head, her legs wrapped around his waist.
"Why Takun, if I'd known you wanted it that bad..." Haruko whispered. Naota groaned and scrambled up to his feet.
"Naota? Naota, what was that? Are you okay in there?" Mamimi said as she continued to knock on the door.
Naota shoved the protesting Haruko into his bedroom and quickly shut the door. He ruffled his own hair a bit to make it look more unkempt, and then went to answer Mamimi. He opened the door to find her looking quite concerned.
"Naota? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I was just sleeping."
"Are you sure? I thought I heard you yell, and there was this thud..."
"I fell out of the bed. You surprised me."
"Sorry." She grabbed his wrist and tried to tug him out into the hallway. "Did you see what happened outside? Looks like someone drove a monster truck through here!"
"Oh, yeah. Looks terrible." Naota was grinding his teeth, trying to think of a way to hurry the end of this conversation.
"Did you hear anything? I mean, its right outside your home, how could you not have?"
"...I was asleep!" Naota said, louder than he had wished. There was a sudden thud from behind him and the sound and the muffled sound of someone cursing.
"Naota...is there someone in your apartment?" Mamimi said, giving him a very skeptical look.
"...I was asleep!" he said again, even louder this time.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Mamimi said.
"I didn't see anything. I was asleep" Naota said, trying to regain himself. Mamimi obviously did not believe him. But she also did not seem to want to press him hard for details.
"Well, if you do remember seeing anything, you will let me know, won't you?" she flashed him one of her best cute looks, and he felt torn in half between friendship and necessity.
"Sure Mamimi, sure" he said, his eyes flicking around nervously.
"Cool. I was hoping you'd be so willing. I could always count on you, Naota" she winked in a way that Naota had a hard time interpreting. She waved gaily at him as she went down the hallway and left the building.
Naota let out a heavy breath and let his shoulders lower from the position they had assumed next to his ears. He went back into his apartment, closing the door behind him. He went to his bedroom, and found Haruko asleep on his bed. She was hugging her bass to her body, as if it were a teddy bear. Naota shook his head and smiled gently. Haruko did look peaceful in her sleep. Almost angelic.
He tried for half an hour to move her over a bit without waking her, unsuccessfully. He eventually gave up trying gently and attempted to simply shove or roll her to the side, enough so he could lay down and sleep himself a bit. But, she seemed to suddenly weigh a thousand pounds, and was unmovable. She snored softly, and occasionally blew a small bubble. Naota finally gave up trying to move her, grabbed one of his spare pillows, and made for the living room.
Just as he was about to settle in, there was another knock at the door.
"Mamimi, I told you already..." he said as he opened the door. The words froze in his throat when he saw it was not Mamimi.
"Hi." The mouth that was located somewhere below those huge eyebrows said. "I'm not sure if you remember me. I'm..."
"I was asleep!" Naota shouted and slammed the door.
"Well, I told you I was fired after I failed to catch Atomsk. Jakun was the one who got my job." Naota sat up, letting the ice pack slip off his head. He watched Haruko as she paced, his head going back and forth.
"So why is he trying to kill you?"
"Well, remember when I said my bosses were pissed because I failed?"
"Yeah..."
"Well...they were really, really, REALLY pissed."
"Oh..."
"He's been chasing me for a while now. I thought I'd lost him when I came back to Earth to look for you. But he caught up to me when I stopped in Mabase to search."
"It was you!" Naota said, standing up now. The ice pack fell from his hand, spilling ice cubes all over the floor. "You were the one who destroyed the Medical Mechanica factory!"
"Well, I had to defend myself!" Haruko said, sounding almost offended. There was a knock at the door. The both of them fell silent. They stood, frozen to the spot, waiting till the knocking eventually stopped. A few moments later the sound of footsteps going back down the hallway signaled them, and they both let out heavy sighs of relief.
"Did you do this too?" Naota said, his voice a bit quieter now. He pointed to his forehead, where the N-O Zone had opened.
"No. I don't know how that happened. Maybe he did it."
"No way. He looked just as confused as you did."
"It made him go away, didn't it? Don't question it, just be thankful."
There was more knocking at the door now. They were both silent again. This time however, a familiar voice gave Naota some comfort.
"Naota? Naota, are you there?" Mamiri said from behind the door. Naota smiled with relief.
"Hey, isn't that...?" Haruko said as she started for the door.
"No!" Naota shouted. He tackled Haruko from behind and squirmed with her on the floor for a moment. He found himself laying on top of Haruko, his hands keeping her arms pinned over her head, her legs wrapped around his waist.
"Why Takun, if I'd known you wanted it that bad..." Haruko whispered. Naota groaned and scrambled up to his feet.
"Naota? Naota, what was that? Are you okay in there?" Mamimi said as she continued to knock on the door.
Naota shoved the protesting Haruko into his bedroom and quickly shut the door. He ruffled his own hair a bit to make it look more unkempt, and then went to answer Mamimi. He opened the door to find her looking quite concerned.
"Naota? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I was just sleeping."
"Are you sure? I thought I heard you yell, and there was this thud..."
"I fell out of the bed. You surprised me."
"Sorry." She grabbed his wrist and tried to tug him out into the hallway. "Did you see what happened outside? Looks like someone drove a monster truck through here!"
"Oh, yeah. Looks terrible." Naota was grinding his teeth, trying to think of a way to hurry the end of this conversation.
"Did you hear anything? I mean, its right outside your home, how could you not have?"
"...I was asleep!" Naota said, louder than he had wished. There was a sudden thud from behind him and the sound and the muffled sound of someone cursing.
"Naota...is there someone in your apartment?" Mamimi said, giving him a very skeptical look.
"...I was asleep!" he said again, even louder this time.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Mamimi said.
"I didn't see anything. I was asleep" Naota said, trying to regain himself. Mamimi obviously did not believe him. But she also did not seem to want to press him hard for details.
"Well, if you do remember seeing anything, you will let me know, won't you?" she flashed him one of her best cute looks, and he felt torn in half between friendship and necessity.
"Sure Mamimi, sure" he said, his eyes flicking around nervously.
"Cool. I was hoping you'd be so willing. I could always count on you, Naota" she winked in a way that Naota had a hard time interpreting. She waved gaily at him as she went down the hallway and left the building.
Naota let out a heavy breath and let his shoulders lower from the position they had assumed next to his ears. He went back into his apartment, closing the door behind him. He went to his bedroom, and found Haruko asleep on his bed. She was hugging her bass to her body, as if it were a teddy bear. Naota shook his head and smiled gently. Haruko did look peaceful in her sleep. Almost angelic.
He tried for half an hour to move her over a bit without waking her, unsuccessfully. He eventually gave up trying gently and attempted to simply shove or roll her to the side, enough so he could lay down and sleep himself a bit. But, she seemed to suddenly weigh a thousand pounds, and was unmovable. She snored softly, and occasionally blew a small bubble. Naota finally gave up trying to move her, grabbed one of his spare pillows, and made for the living room.
Just as he was about to settle in, there was another knock at the door.
"Mamimi, I told you already..." he said as he opened the door. The words froze in his throat when he saw it was not Mamimi.
"Hi." The mouth that was located somewhere below those huge eyebrows said. "I'm not sure if you remember me. I'm..."
"I was asleep!" Naota shouted and slammed the door.
