"Hey, Kanti."

Haruko passed the robot a wrapped bit of curry bread. He took it wordlessly as always, and consumed it without complaint. The cat Takkun found refuge in his jacket, but he didn't seem to mind.

"I feel kinda bad for leaving Naota like that," admitted Haruko, "but Kanti just happened to be around.

"Besides," added Mamimi, " it would have been bad if Kantido-sama was there when Naota forgot about him."

"Do you think he's forgotten already?" scrolled across Kanti's screen.

"I dunno. Maybe," drawled Haruko, chewing thoughtfully on a chunk of curry bread. "I guess we'll find out once we catch him."

01010101

"Shit. I gotta get out of here."

Naota threw clothing and money into his book bag, sparing only a glance to make sure everything landed in the right place. Without looking, he grabbed the bag and sprinted downstairs.

The house was empty. Naota had no trouble getting out. He pondered for a moment which way he wanted to go, then decided to just head for the river. The sun was setting, and it would be easier to follow the current than a road.

As the last bloody rays of a dying star vanished beyond the horizon, Naota broke into a run. The river stretched out before him, widening now. It blinded him, its waters turned bloody even as the sky faded to violet. He pushed himself harder, forcing his already weary legs into a sprint.

Suddenly, glaring headlights froze him to the spot. Naota's angry muscles forced him to sit down, gasping for air. He heard a car door slam, and a uniformed adult appeared in front of him.

It turned out Naota had been running parallel to a road. The police officer who spotted him tagged him as a runaway and drove him home, ignoring the boy's protests. His father hadn't even noticed his disappearance, and Tasku hadn't gotten home.

Naota returned to his room after dinner, his queasy stomach threatening to release everything he had just eaten. He fell asleep trying desperately to remember everything about his companions—friends?

And the next morning, Naota awoke to find that everything was exactly the same.

01010101

Author's note: dun dun DUN. things dont look good, do they? never fear, another update will come soon. sorry for the shortness of the chapter; i wanted to update soon, and i didnt like cutting this chapter off any other place. so please bear with me until i can get some longer updates, k? thanx, mes amis. enjoy.

-raven, your friendly neptunian maniac