Shooting Star
Chapter 2: Questions
Oato sat looking at the TV, his head still pounding, his mind realing from the events of the afternoon. Why would he do that, he thought to himself , that's pretty freakin' random. The inly thing he was really sure of was that he needed something more effective than tylenol, because his head still pounded. He stood up and made his way to the bathroom. As he glanced in the mirror his jaw dropped.
Eri and Mamimi sat in the condemned Nandaba living room, watching Naota wipe dirt and grime from his hairy face.
This isn't the boy I used to know, Mamimi thought, Where's the baby face?
"Where have you been?" Eri finally said, breaking the silence.
"Does it matter?" Naota asked under his breath
Even his voice is different, I would never have recognized it.
"Of course it matters, Nao, You take of without so much as a goodbye, only to show up ten years later and assault my son?" Eri said growing angry
Mamimi sat silently looking between the to of them, she was just happy to have Naota back, she didn't care where he'd gone, or why.
"At first I tought…" Naota began as he turned away to change his shirt "I thought all I needed was to leave here, this place had a stranglehold on me, and I needed to get out." He turned back "I went to America, I found Tasuku."
He sat down on a chair across the room from the two women. His eyes dropped to the floor, he felt shame in his heart for leaving them both, but he would never admit it. "He had his own family, and all his fans over there, no room for me."
"So why didn't come back?" Eri asked, leaning forward attempting to comfort him. "You had us here."
"It wasn't enough." Naota said looking up "I kept thinking about coming back, then remembering how miserable this place was when I was here." His eyes glazed over in a somber sort of way "Then I remembered the only person who ever made this place more than it was."
"Haruko?" Mamimi finally chimed in
"I decided I needed to go find her." Naota said, there was a regret in his voice
"Did you find her?" Eri asked, hoping she wouldn't get the answer she expected
Naota answered silently, with a glance toward the corner of the room, a bright white Flying V stood there, with Haruko single linked shackle hung around it's neck, as if to say "Yes I did"
Oato stumbled out of the bathroom, and fell to his knees, his hands clutching the oddly shaped bump that rappidly grew on his forehead. He screamed in utter pain as it grew into a full formed hand, at least as long as his entire body.
A familliar clinking sound rang through the Nandaba living room, Naota's blue eyes widened as he stood quickly looking toward the flying v. He snatched up the shackle fastening it around his wrist. Mamimi and Ninamori stood watching him move frantically around the living room.
"It wasn't supposed to happen this quick." Naota muttered to himself "He's not even fixed yet."
He grabbed his trenchcoat, spinning it through the air, and slid his arms through the sleeves in one fluid motion. He grabed both guitars and slung them, crossed, around his shoulders. Then he jumped on his Vespa and slammed through the door.
The two women looked on in shock. "This can't be good." Ninamori said rushing towards the door
The hand grabbed Oato's forehead puishing his entire body to the floor. Oato blacked out, the pain was too much for him to handle.
The robot pushed it's shoulders out next it's tiny head was of no consequence. It finally forced it's legs out. It stood above oato, a towering mass of terrifying metal, Jet black from head to toe accept one flashing green eye in the center of it's tiny round head. It long dangling arms almost touched the ground, It's bulky legs supporting a slender streamlined frame. It gazed down upon Oato, getting ready to strike.
SLAM!
The front door of the house spun from it's hinges colliding with, and knocking down, the unsuspecting robot. The robot stood slowly it's green eye now flashing red.
"Oh,.I'm sorry pooky…" Naota began as he lifted the Rickenbacker from his back, his voice lowered to a mean growl "Did I make you angry?"
The robot charged as Naota jumped away from the door. It tumbled head first out into the street. Naota turned toward Oato who lay in a heap on the floor, quivering.
"Snap out of it kid!" He tossed the Flying V at the boy "You got work to do!"
Naota charged out the door the door, just in time for the robot to turn for it's next attack. Naota threw himself into the air swinging his guitar, it collided with the robots swinging fist. It seemed that Time hung in place forever around this moment. This is what he missed, this is what Haruko had brought with her when she came, and taken when she left. The force of the guitar drove the robots fist back into it's slender torso. Sparks flew and the robots eye blinked off. It fell slowly backwards as Naota landed on the ground.
"They don't make 'em like they used to." Naota said turnign towards the house, a little dissapointment in his heart over a fight cut short.
Oato sat up with the Flying V in his hands, staring out the door, confused, angry, scared, all at the same time.
"I guess I didn't need your help after all kid." Naota said. He took one step toward Oato and was launched into the air as if he had stepped into a hunter's snare. He dangled upside down in mid air, his feet crushed by the powerful robot fist, staring straight into the intense glowing red eye.
Oato grasped the guitar and ran to the door.
Naota twisted around to see "USE IT!" He yelled
"Huh?" Oato responded dumbfounded
"THE GUITAR!" Naota screamed "FIGHT!"
At that moment something overtook Oato's body, he had no notion of the guitar in his hands beiong a weapon before this moment, but now, in his mind, that was all it was. He was it with an intense glare in his eyes, and charged forward, swingin it through the robots already beaten torso, the sound of wrenching metal rang out around them, and the robot fell backwards, tossing Naota into the air.
The robots imense weight formed a crater in the front walk, and Naota slammed down on the ground next to Oato.
Ninamori and Mamimi ran up to the house breathing heavily. Ninamori surveyed the damage with wild anger in her eyes.
Oato looked down at Naota who looked back with a grin, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, and a small cut above his eyebrow. "Who are you?" Oato asked
Naota raised an eyebrow and the smile ran away from his face, That was an answer he long since forgot, too many years in space changed him in too many ways. He stood up slowly throwing the guitar back over his shoulder. He walked toward the street.
Ninamori grabbed him by the arm, "Why him?" She said
Naota looked at her with an empty expression. "Why me?" He yanked his arm from her hand, mounted his Vespa, and sped away.
