Hey you guys! Ohmygod I'm soo sorry I didn't update all year! Like, seriously, please don't tell me the people that wanted to read more don't want to read anymore... :( That'd make me seriously upset. But okay, I don't own any part of FLCL, that belongs to Gainax, and so do all of the characters in the following fic. 3

Of course, after that kiss, Naota immediately ran away. And he kept running until he saw the lit-up bakery window that he knew was his house. Or, at least, Kamon's house. Naota ran in and slammed the door, leaning against it, he panted.

Never.

He never wanted to be with Mamimi again.

Her kissing him felt like cheating. And, for good reason.

He did have a girlfriend.

Ninamori.

Too bad Ninamori isn't the one he felt he was cheating on.

He walked upstairs calmly, because he knew that if he stamped up the stairs, he'd hear Kamon's door open, and his father would ask what the problem was. That was the last thing Naota wanted. Because if he mentioned Haruko around Kamon, and let him know how much his son missed the housekeeper, he'd just want to replace her. He'd think the only problem was not having a sexy woman-figure walking around the house.

He got to his room and shut he door behind him.

All these girls. Why did everyone think Naota was attractive except the girl he loved?

'I bet she doesn't think about me at all...', he thought. Then the scarier thoughts started.

What if she had a different home?

What if his planet/home were just one of many?

How many other boys has she cursed like him?

And, of course, like any other night, he had these thoughts until sleep washed over him.

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The alarm didn't wake Naota the next morning, his cat did. It had taken it upon itself to sit on his face.

"Dammit, cat!" He shoved the feline off of him. Great, now he needed to shower. Just when today was going to be one of those lazy days where he didn't want a shower.

After he cleansed himself, the phone rang. He then, shirtlessly, walked over and answered it.

"Mon-chan's bakery, Naota here."

"Takun?"

"...I told you not to call me that. You didn't call me that last night, you won't call me that now." It was Mamimi. What if she asks why he ran away?

"Heehee. Sorry. I was just wondering when you'll be getting out of school to hang out today?"

"I won't be. Hanging out, I mean. I have...other plans. With my girlfriend."

"..Oh...Okay. I'll just be under the bridge as always, Naota-kun. In case you decide to come by..." She hung up.

Leave it to Naota to make things awkward.

He quickly put his shirt on, wrapped the bandages around his head, and left for school.

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At school, Ninamori didn't talk to him all day.

But then again, he couldn't blame her. He had, after all, ditched her at lunch yesterday. He wished he could apologize for letting Mamimi kiss him like that, but she didn't know about it. And who says she had to find out?

"Hey. Whats wrong with you and Ninamori? Lover's quarrel?" Gaku. Nosey bastard.

"...No. We're just..not talking right now. Too much closeness can bring more distance into a relationship, you know." Naota bit a piece of squid in his lunch.

"True, true. But still..."

"Look, we didn't have a fight, okay, Gaku? Jeez.." he closed up his lunch, picked it up and carried it away with him to Ninamori's table.

He sat down next to her, but she pretended not to notice.

"...ahem. Ninamori...I'm sorry I wasn't at lunch yesterday." He thought for a second, "Or...the rest of yesterday..I brought you some squid!" He handed her the lunch.

"I don't eat squid." She shoved it back over to him.

"Well, don't you at least want an explaination?"

"I don't need one, since that girl's back from America, I know where you are when you're not in school for the last half of the day." She picked up her lunch and walked away, tossing it in the garbage and leaving the cafeteria.

Naota sighed and got up. There's just no pleasing her...

Yeahhhhh... I'll update soon, I promise. I just needed to get my story back in the lineup-thingy on the website. Sorry if it's not as good as the other chapters, first chapter written in like, a year you know. :D;;