GoIII
We ride through Mabase on the Fuji Rabbit. I'm too big to sit in front of her like before so I sit behind her, my arms around her waist. There's no one on the streets to see us skidding around corners and roaring down the straightaways. Haruko takes us up to a hilly part of the edge of Mabase and looks out at the water. The sun's starting to come up. I get off the scooter and stare at Haruko. The wind makes her hair fly up and her scarf flail.
"Why are you here Raharu?" I say. Haruko leans on the handle bars and stares out at the gold water.
"Because I love you." She says.
Time shatters.
Mabase is gone. It's just me and Haruko, floating in a world that's all steam. Haruko gets off the scooter and turns to me. She looks like she's about to cry. I drop the Rickenbacker and it disappears into the steam. "Haruko." I whisper. Haruko hugs me and buries her face in my head. She's still a whole head taller than me. I break away from the hug and stare at Haruko. She looks at me. She looks so pathetic and young. I stand on the balls of my feet and kiss her. She doesn't taste like spicy curry. She tastes like the sweet drinks I buy from the vending machine. Something salty dribbles into my mouth and when I open my eyes I see Haruko is crying. I hug her and slowly the world of steam is blown away. We're back on the outskirts of Mabase. The sun's warming everything. Haruko pulls away and sits on the Rabbit.
"Naota..." She chokes out. It's weird to see Haruko like this. Weak and fragile. I don't what to do.
So I walk away.
The sound of Haruko crying fades into the distance. I'm at my house quicker than I expected. Mamimi is slumped over on the doorstep. "Mamimi?" I call. She looks up at me.
"Naota-kun." I walk past her. "Naota-kun are you going to school today?" I stop and nod, not turning around. "Oh..."
I walk home from school. When I'm about half-way across the bridge, Haruko jumps in front of me. "Naota-kun!" She shouts, playing the lowest note on the Gibson. She's wearing her bunny outfit.
I brush past her and feel her eyes on me as I leave. "Naota-kun?" Haruko says. I don't look at her. "Naota-kun!" I glanced over my shoulder at her. "What you think about...what I said?" Haruko asks. I rack my brain for an answer all the while giving Haruko a bored stare. Finally, I come up with one.
"Nothing." I say. "I don't think anything about that fact that you love me. Haruko, I don't care about you. That kiss - I didn't feel anything. I know you'll just leave again. And why should I care about someone who already loves some else? You love Atomsk, right?" Haruko clenches a fist.
"Well you love Mamimi." I grit my teeth and freeze up. "You really care about her. But she still loves your brother." I over to Haruko.
"Just go Raharu. Go find Atomsk. He's not here - not anymore and you know it." I turn away and walk across the bridge.
In the afternoon, Haruko leaves. She's got all her stuff except for the Gibson EB-O. "It's yours anyways." She says. She starts up the Rabbit and hovers there. "Y'know Naota? You're not a kid anymore. Wanna come?" We stare at each other. I imagine our life: Flying through space and running from the Galaxy Space Police Brotherhood, searching for Atomsk and fighting Metal Mechanica whenever we come across them. Eating spicy curry and playing guitar. Maybe Haruko and I would start to like each other even more. And after Haruko settled her score with Metal Mechanica we could run from the GSPB and eat curry. Lots and lots of curry.
"Never mind." Haruko sighs. "You're still a kid."
"Haruko." I shout. She looks at me. "I'm not a kid anymore. I want to tell you I do care about you. But I can't go." Haruko nods.
"Sure." She revs the Rabbit. "Thank you Naota-kun. Good-bye." She flies off. Mamimi comes out of the house.
"Naota-kun?" She says. She looks up. "She's gone." She murmurs. It's more of a question. I nod.
"For good." I say. Mamimi lifts up her camera and snaps a shot. She puts the camera in her pocket and pulls out a cigarette and a lighter.
"Those things will kill you y'know." I say. Mamimi drops the cigarette. It rolls on the pavement, flickering. She grinds it out with the toe of her shoe and goes to walk inside. I grab her arm and pull her towards me.
"Naota-kun!" She says, surprised. I lean in close her.
"I'm going to bubble over." I whisper.
And she kisses me.
