AN: Sorry this chapter is so late in coming; no excuse can make up for the long wait, so instead I'll ask for forgiveness and hope you enjoy this chapter. The plot hasn't really kicked in yet, but the general idea I have for this story will prove slow-paced -- at least at first. I hope to upload new chapters in a more timely manner, as your support for this story really makes me quite happy, and I wish to see more of it in the future.

I woke up with a start, pondering the dream I'd just had. A flaming bird and a hot chick on a vespa was crazy, even for a dream, but what unsettled me the most was how real it felt. It was like I was watching the final scene in the movie of my childhood, but there's no way that could have happened, right? I mean, let's be realistic here; a giant lava falcon fleeing from a little kid and a young woman into space is a bit of stretch in realistic terms; if you take into consideration how utterly dull this city is – a place where nothing interesting ever happens, nor ever will happen – it seems literally impossible. So why do I feel so very nostalgic?

Deciding that thinking on this any more so early in the morning will surely cause my head to explode (or perhaps grow a horn), I made the transition from bed to bathroom and let my robot-friend clean me up. Yes, I have a robot that takes care of the boring necessities for me; everybody needs one, right? Actually, he's one of the first robots I've built, and by far my favorite. He's a little outdated – with the rapid-fast advancement of robotic technology, any robot built more than six months ago is considered old – but he's served me well for many years, and he's not showing signs of breaking down anytime soon.

After the toiletries and such were complete, instant ramen was my next course of action. I've sworn to live on this stuff throughout college (or at least until I get a good job and learn how to cook), and so I've filled my cupboard with piles upon piles of the stuff. Tastes satisfactory, wonderfully easy to prepare, and cheap as dirt; what's not to like? After pouring hot water into the cup, I ate silently at the table, taking the time to brood over what I'd do today.

Job-hunting might be the best course of action, but I've been doing it the whole week and have only applied for a single job, of which I was rejected almost immediately; seems like a previous applicant decided they wanted it, and I was outta luck. Deciding I needed a break from another dreary day of searching, I started considering a trip to the pool. They'd built an indoor leisure center recently, and I hadn't gotten the chance to see it yet, so it might be a little interesting to check out.

Deciding on the center, I finished up my ramen and tossed it in the garbage, put on a light jacket and slipped into my sneakers, checked to make sure my wallet was in the coat-pocket, and locked the door behind me. The cool brusque wind was a welcome wake-up slap; sleep still drooped beneath my eyes, the weight of which had my eyelids fighting to stay even slightly open. After giving the sockets a good hard rub, I descended down the flight of stairs towards the concrete sidewalk lining the unsurprisingly empty road. Mabase had gotten an influx of traffic ever since the prestigious robotics school opened up, and with it robotics corporations and research centers, but this side of the city still stood happily underpopulated. Which, in my opinion, is a big plus; I hate the hustle and bustle of the corporate world, the incorrigible noise frustrated my ears to no end.

As the indoor pool – like everything else worth noting in this city – is located in the opposite end of where I live, I had to take the painfully slow bus, courtesy of the eighty-year old geezer driving it. Nothing against the man; he always gets me safe to my location, and for that I am eternally grateful, but he drives like he's afraid he'll run over an imaginary snail that always conveniently paces itself ahead of us. After enduring the hour-long bus-ride that would've taken any sane man half the time, I walked the short distance from the bus stop to the leisure center, taking the time to watch a flock of birds shit in unison upon the statue of the first mayor of Mabase.

The inside of the building was nothing special, nor was the receptionist that greeted me and took my money. I noticed the place was relatively empty (it wasn't exactly prime time, being around 8:00 am), but I didn't care in the slightest; I enjoyed my alone time, no denying that. Then I realized I forgot to bring a swimsuit. Cursing my idiocy, I walked back up the stairs and asked the girl behind the desk if she had any spares. Luckily for me, they lent out nice black speedos for a cheap price of ten dollars, which I payed for with an especially sour expression on my face. After changing into the ugly rubber suit, I slipped into the scarcely-populated but pleasantly warm bowl of water.

I shut my eyes and let the warmth surround my senses, a sigh of content escaping my lips. I hadn't felt this relaxed in a long, long time, and I was truly grateful for the luxury after a long week of stress. After what must have been nearly an hour, I felt the water shudder and small waves of the liquid splash against my chest. I could all but feel the presence of another person, so I opened my eyes to gaze upon the intruder; what I saw made my heart leap into my throat: wet, light-pink hair tickled bare slender shoulders; soft, full lips parted ever-so-slightly; intense, pale-yellow eyes looked out under heavy bangs; she looked so strikingly familiar, yet at the same time seemed like a complete stranger.

My heart beat so fast it felt like it'd burst from excitement – or was it fear? Whatever it was, I'd never felt it before, and that notion itself frightened me. She walked slowly towards me, so painstakingly slow that I thought she'd been suspended in time; it felt like an eternity had passed before she came into arms length. My mouth too seemed to be frozen, as I wasn't able to sound the thoughts that ran through my mind. Only one word escaped my statuesque self, though the word itself seemed foreign to my lips.

"Haruko?"

"Hey, are you okay? Hey, hey! Wake up, will ya?"

I forced my to eyes crack open, and the world come sputtering into view. I felt cold linoleum under my shoulders, and heard a voice, probably male, shouting something about somebody being okay, but the water in my ears made it hard to make out. I pushed myself up into a sitting position and shook the water and grogginess from my head before trusting my feet to hold me up. As I looked around and processed the view, the memory of what I was doing finally hit me.

"Where's the girl?" I asked the man in front of me, my speech a little slurred.

"Girl? What girl?"

"Pink hair, greenish-yellow eyes, nice figure; you know, a girl. Where'd she go?" I replied, a little annoyed at having to speak any more than I needed to.

"Pink hair, you say? Don't think I saw her. You sure she was here? I was in this pool the whole time, and I didn't see any girl with pink hair or anything. Hey, besides that, are you okay? You've been out for a while, you know..." He droned on about my fainting and other nonsense, but I tuned him out.

But wait, he said he didn't see her...how can that be? There's no way I dreamed that, was there? Dammit, I've had enough of my mind playing tricks on me -- looks like I've got no choice. I didn't think I'd have to see that annoying fake of a shrink again, but this is getting too weird for me to sort out on my own. If I can't even shut my eyes for a second without this random chick popping up to terrorize me, I don't think I'll hold onto my sanity for much longer.

Whoever this Haruka is, she won't be troubling me for much longer; only thing is, I'm not even sure If I want her to stop....

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