In My Life- Now advocating minors setting off potential firearms

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The night of the Fireworks Festival always turned out to be a clear and comfortable one, and Makoto's first one was no exception as he whizzed like an arrow through the air. Knotted to his ankle was a long rope, which in turn was not going to detach from the monstrous, screaming bottle rocket any time soon. The beach was zooming up to him, the screams of the villagers scrambling up as they ducked for safety.

All because Makoto mustered up his courage.

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Another mind-numbing, uneventful day was finally coming to a close at the clinic as Elli locked up the file cabinets behind her. Finally that day was over, and the next day was fast approaching.

The Fireworks Festival, and traditionally, that night was to be shared with someone special.

The Doctor stepped out of his office, enticing a turn of Elli's head. Her gaze took off, following him until he stopped just in front of her. She didn't notice him bite his lip before he spoke.

"I guess we're done for today," he told her.

Elli nodded. She stepped out from behind the counter only to have the Doctor head that way, one last file in hand. He unlocked the file cabinet once more and began sifting through the files.

"Umm… Doctor?" she asked, face heating up.

The Doctor didn't reply.

"The Fireworks Festival is tomorrow..." she trailed, waiting for him to say something. The Doctor shut the cabinet, not even turning as he locked it.

"I'm not going to be able to watch it," he curtly replied.

"Oh… I see…" Elli sighed, her heart taking a slip with her downcast eyes. "Why not?"

"I have to make a trip to the Valley," the Doctor immediately replied, being done with the file cabinet. "So you get tomorrow off, and you can enjoy the festival. I'll be back the next day."

Elli nodded, eyes set off again. The Doctor headed back into his office, and the door of the clinic opened up right after. Her attention was caught, spinning around to see Makoto in the entrance. The boy had the worst fathomable case of farmer's tan, sunburned on just about every inch of exposed skin.

Elli gasped for a moment, but straightened out her face as she approached him.

"Hey Makoto," she greeted. "What brings you here?"

Makoto shoved his hands in his cargo pants pockets, knees giving out from under him as he almost choked on his tongue. Elli waited patiently for his response, Makoto taking the time to clear out his throat.

"Either I need my appendix removed, or I want to ask you something," he replied, managing an even tone.

Elli cracked a wry smile.

"Well, you'll have to wait off on that operation. Try not to die before then," she teased, soon after noticing Makoto biting his lip. "So, what did you want to ask me?"

He sucked in one deep breath after another, finally cutting off.

"Okay," he sighed. "You really, really, don't have to, but…" He trailed off, taking in another deep breath as Elli waited.

Finally, he said it.

"The Fireworks Festival. Do you want to go?" He bit his lip a bit. "It's up to you."

For a moment, Elli didn't reply, but her wry smile slowly sweetened up.

"Sure!" she agreed. Makoto stood there with nothing more than an incredulous look plastered onto his face.

But he would have danced his way back to Strawberry Fields if he knew how to dance.

"Yay."

-From Makoto's Journal

To ask for everything to go smoothly from sunrise until the festival would be far too much. Makoto's body went about with watering his almost ripe pineapples, his mind floating off somewhere else. Ein managed himself a good bath while following underfoot.

There wasn't much more to be done once the watering was finished. Makoto headed back for the house and started up the stoops, only to be brought back down by a stare creeping up his spine. And with no doubt as he backed down the stairs, there were the ever callous beady eyes of Saibara.

Saibara was definitely an advocator of punishment, and he held no shame in it. His followed Makoto with his piercing eyes, and he kept his callused hands over the buckle of his thick leather belt.

Very strange.

"Yes?" Makoto asked, arching his eyebrow. Saibara let out a gruff as he gave a rub to under his nose.

"The fireworks were stolen. And the festival starts at seven, so you better get them back."

With a groan, Makoto shoved his hands in his pockets. Saibara half nodded, and continued.

"It was the man in the yellow coat."

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That's when Makoto took a trip to the vacant beach, and greeted the man in the yellow coat with a belly bomber of a punch. Won moaned and gasped out some Mandarin swear words as he slumped down his shop stand and doubled over. With a shrug, Makoto stepped over his crumpled body and reached behind the stand. One by one, he stacked crates of fireworks off to the side.

"Golden hour is my three minutes happiness," Makoto said half aloud as he bent down to pick up the crates, all five or six of them. Saibara was waiting in a row boat just off the shoreline, snorting when Makoto managed to bring the crates over.

"Took too long!" he barked. "Now row this boat!"

Makoto finished stacking the last crate on the boat, which had hardly any room left for one more.

"You're skinny! Fit in!" Saibara gruffed out. "That bastard grandson of mine ran off with some girl, so you'll be launching fireworks tonight."

Those words caved straight into Makoto, and all he could do was let out a blatantly exasperated groan. Saibara merely farted, pointing to whatever space Makoto could squeeze his half-Asian, grab-ably small butt into. As soon as he plunked in, Saibara tossed some oars in his lap with a grunt.

"Head to that tiny island, twelve o clock," he commanded as he pointed out. "Sunset's at twenty-hundred hours, Sergeant Dingleberry."

Makoto took the oars with another groan, rowing, rowing, rowing the boat irately through the sea.

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They set up on a small island, atop a grassy knoll. And Makoto remained steadily irate that night, checking each bottle rocket and dazzler to be firmly in place. With a rope around his shoulder, he paced back and forth with his hands in his pockets.

He'd be able to spot Elli on the shore if he had better vision. Alas, he squinted his way into a sigh.

"Quit your pussying and start setting these off!" Saibara barked from behind, hands on his belt. Makoto sighed, just beginning to fathom the likes of the overbearing Saibara he had to deal with. He took a book of matches out of his back pocket, striking it.

"And set this large one off about five minutes in," Saibara grumbled, catching Makoto's eye with a gratuitously large, red bottle rocket. His eye then fell on the rope he was holding.

Elli slumped her shoulders, letting out a sigh as the night tinted darker. The first fireworks blossomed and boomed over the water, brilliant blues and white.

"Mix up the colors, you ignoramus!" Saibara grumbled with another fart. Makoto held his matches away, and proceeded to light up a few more fuses.

Everyone was in awe, necks strained as they stared up at the dancing and exploding colors. More came, all sorts of dazzling and mind-numbing patterns in the sky.

"Set off that one," Saibara ordered, pointing to the large bottle rocket. Makoto nodded, his eyes subtly glinting as he made a quick check. The rocket was securely on its post, with Makoto's ankle and the rocket definitely tied together.

"Now, mutt!"

Makoto struck his last match, knowing Saibara had about five more books or so. He held it out to the fuse, the ember slowly catching and bouncing its way up. It finally had a hair to go, popping its way up to its goal.

It was an airy, slow hiss. Makoto took a large step back from the bottle rocket, clenching his fists.

AND FWOOSH!

The rocket shot out dead straight, and all Makoto could hear were the enraged screams of the possibly beet-red Saibara fading off as he zoomed in towards the shoreline. His mop of hair flapped every which way, the rocket above him corkscrewing its way towards the villagers. Everyone on the shore was caught in an upheaval, either screaming out of panic or thinking Makoto would be able to hear their admonishing words.

Elli watched as Makoto zoomed in, taking quick steps backwards as she tried her damn hardest not to outright panic. The bottle rocket was taking a long nosedive just as Elli did. She collided in a tangle with Makoto, the rocket bouncing its way into the sand seconds after.

"Shit!" Makoto hissed, realizing he pinned Elli flat on her back to the sand. He grabbed her hand and jumped to his feet, dragging her shakily up too. "Elli! Are you okay??" he shot out, albeit her cracking that wry smile.

The bottle rocket let out a poof just before it shot up into flames.

"I'm glad you're alright, Makoto," Elli said. She dropped down to her knees, quickly untying the rope from Makoto's ankle. After she got up, her smile gave way to a cock-eyed glare. "I know I'm stating the bleeding obvious when I say you're insane, Makoto." With the cross of her arms, her glare just became all the more cock-eyed.

Makoto shrugged.

"Well," he began, turning away. "I had good reason." He turned back to find Elli with a blank face, and he crossed his arms.

With a sweet smile, Elli said:

"You're looking a little ruddy, Makoto."

And with that, Makoto let out a yelp.

"Sunburn!" he exclaimed, pulling up the sleeve of his T-shirt. There was no mistake in discerning the line between pasty white and searing red. Elli took it with a nod, and continued.

"Let's go sit out on the dock. No one's there." With a subtly cracking expression, Makoto nodded, and the two headed out for the dock.

Saibara must've given in, fireworks still flaring up and trickling down as they sat together. Eventually, Saibara ran out of fuses to light, and it wasn't long before everyone was turning out the lights at home.

And with the sweet silence welcoming the air of company, the two friends still sat out on the dock.

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Happy Independence Day from New Jersey.

"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" is yet another Beatles song, a Lennon-McCartney number from the HELP! album.

Gravilorn- You're a brave, brave soul for reading through all that. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Anime26Angel- Have fun on your trip, and take care of that Makoto!

Zomaelgustar the Wanker- You forgot to claim your Makoto plushie, damn you. But you have a good idea there, so…

In the next chapter, Saibara is flown to the moon, or at least to outer space. There, he meets two robots, where they MST till their non-existent hearts content. [grin]