"Come on, Naota!"

Chapter l

"Sayonara, Naota-Kun."

With that the last of my sanity walked out the door. Mamimi was the only thing I had actually had going before she came. I had a reason to care about her, Tasuku had asked me to take care of her and that was reason enough to. I eventually became accustomed to her, a little too much I guess. Hell, I tried to woo her with a fancy dinner, but I guess by then I had changed far too much for her and she left me. It wasn't my fault; there was a disruption, an unwanted guest into our lives. This disruption was what changed me…it was her fault…She made me swing the bat.

Nothing ever changes in this town; everything's always the same…Except me.
I couldn't sleep. I'd been having this weird dream lately.

It was back then, years ago, and I was still 12. I was back on that roof holding that guitar…the Gibson Flying V and I was holding it like a bat. There was fear in my eyes and I was looking around for her but I couldn't see anything.. My head felt empty, and it probably was. The sky was turning weird colors, like a horrible rainbow signaling impending doom and I was alone.. I heard something coming at me and I looked up – a hand, a pitch…a sinker. I readied myself, "Here it comes", I thought. I didn't swing the bat. There was a huge explosion and then…nothing.

That's when I woke up. I looked around and glanced at the clock, 6:30 AM; still early, I usually woke up at 7:30 even if I had school that day, which I did today and it started at 8:00. It was still dark out, but I got up anyway. The bunk had been gone for 2 years now. I just couldn't bear sleeping in it anymore so I asked my dad to sell it. He didn't and gave it to Canti instead, can robots even sleep? I guess he just still thinks that my brother's still coming back. He isn't. Tasuku told me himself in a letter he sent a year ago, he got married with that "Blonde gal" and was planning on starting a family over in America. I haven't told my dad. I don't think I could.

My room was a mess, but I couldn't be bothered to clean it. Old issues of "Come on, Mabase" – the community zine my dad started - littered the floor, and oddly enough, the zine was still going strong even after all these years. The shutters were drawn and I could see the moon begin to sink into the horizon, where she flew off into that day in…No, she's gone and I can't think about her anymore. I closed the shutters and reclined into the darkness that crept over my room. When I heard a low sounding "thuuung" somewhere in the corner; I knew immediately what it was. It was the Rickenbacker 4003, the blue bass she had left behind.

I reached over to the corner that had become its home and picked it up. It still looked new, even after all the damage it had inflicted onto people and robots. I laughed as I remembered how all I ever saw its previous owner do with it was strum the first string repeatedly or strike me with it repeatedly. I rolled my chair over to me and began to strum the first string. I lost myself for a while and relived the past.

When I finally woke from my nostalgic trance it was because of my dad yelling out at me, "Naota-kun! Breakfast! Your favorite, eggs!" I wasn't hungry so I didn't go down. I continued to strum the string but couldn't help glancing over at the clock first: 7:40 am. If I was late for school Er – Ninamori would kill me. I don't really want to go to school. I think it's a nuisance, an unnecessary necessity, but that doesn't mean I can just quit. As much as I'd like to, Er – Ninamori would kill me.

"Naota!"

Speak of the devil, she'd been checking up on me lately, especially since we just started high school. Shinden High School, the very same high school Mamimi had once attended, had once been bullied in, and had dropped out of years before. Who would have guessed it, huh?

Another shout…

"NAOTA!"

I looked towards the door and prepared myself for the inevitable argument we had every time she came over. I was going to throw out the usual line I gave her every time she let herself in – "What are you doing in my house? Leave me alone" – but I couldn't even open my mouth. She wasn't wearing her usual clothes, not her usual clothes at all.

I tried to not let my eyes make it look like I was checking out her getup because she'd probably think me a pervert – which I wasn't -, but those clothes just wouldn't let me not look at her. That white scarf, that red vest, those tight black pants, those golden gloves, and those white boots! Those were Haruko's; there was no doubt in my mind about that.

"Where'd you get those clothes?"

She just smirked at me. One arm on her hip, the usual Ninamori posture, but I couldn't help feeling something was different about her, way different. By now I had already put the blue Rickenbacker 4003 back in its usual corner and was standing about 5 feet away from where Ninamori was standing. I was going to say something to break the awkward silence that was now hanging in the air, but she spoke first, "Hey, Takkun, did you miss me?" That wasn't her usual voice either. What was going on?

By the time I had realized whose voice was coming out of Eri Ninamori's mouth; Ninamori was holding her – my Rickenbacker and strumming the first string. "Hey, let go off that, Eri." She had her head down and her pink hair was covering her head…her PINK HAIR?

"Haruko…?" That was all I could muster, was it just my imagination playing tricks on me? I didn't know, but something was definitely going on.

She looked up at me and answered my question, this person wasn't Ninamori; she was Haruhara Haruko. I could feel the tears begin to build up in my eyes, but I held them back as best as I could. She was smiling but her Golden wildcat eyes held traces of tears in their corners. ""W-what are you doing back? Why didn't you take me with you?" As much as I had forced myself to try and not ask her that, it just slipped out on its own. I forced myself to her but the distance seemed to grow between us. "I guess I still need your head, Takkun." She stood up. The gap that was between us before had suddenly condensed as she was right on top of me, Rickenbacker in hand.

"I missed ya, kid."

I was about to reply when I saw an incredibly fast, blue blur coming straight towards my head and I was sent flying back towards the wall, I had missed that feeling. The feeling of Haruko's painfully gentle hand holding a blunt object and hitting my head with it. I was about to get up and ask why she had hit me, but once again she was on top of me, striking my head. She was crying now, I could see that, but she wouldn't stop. When she finally did stop I could feel the blood begin to drop from my brow, I could barely even see anymore my vision was blurred from the tears of pain I had shed while she was hitting me. "See ya around, Takkun," and she was gone and I blacked out.

I could smell cigarette smoke and that was what had roused me from my sleep. I wondered if it was all just a dream, had Haruko really come back and then proceeded to strike me 'til I blacked out from the pain? I touched my forehead and searing pain coursed through my body, guess that answered my question. My vision was still blurry from the sleep; but I could see it was still daylight, how long had I been out?

"You've been out for three days, Naota-kun."

Said a voice, as if reading my mind, who's voice? I rubbed my eyes and saw for my self.

"M-mamimi?"

"Click!"

Disclaimer: I don't own FLCL/Furi Kuri/ Fooly Cooly/Whatever you want to call it. If I did, I'd have Haruko and Mamimi locked in my basement (if I had one of those). D:
Author's excuses: Yeah, this is my first time actually writing in first-person view, so please excuse that.