First of all, sorry for the break between updates. There were two major reasons for my lapse this time. First of all, end-of-the-school-year assessment tests. Also, the computer that I use got a virus and had to be sent in for repairs, so I haven't been able to type. Momoka finally confessed! And Fuyuki is finally starting to like her back! I've always been a Fuyu+Momo fan. Some of you are probably wondering why I introduced a 'rival' (Gertrude) if I support Fuyuki and Momoka. Well, the simple answer is that it makes it interesting! Getrude's love is doomed, she knows it's doomed, and all this just makes her situation more and more like Giroro's! Well, sort of. Anyways, back to the Aki-bot! This'll be a long chapter… I'll get back to Gertrude in the next couple of chapters.
As the rescue party neared the little island, Natsumi caught sight of Fuyuki's signal fire, still burning in the distance. The coloring from the salt was gone by now.
"Look, Mom! Over there! That must be them!" Natsumi said, pointing. They flew over and landed loudly on the beach next to the fire. Aki jumped out, followed by Natsumi, and the rest of the group walked out through the actual doors.
"Fuyuki! Where are you?" Aki called. The clone Fuyuki held up a finger, gesturing for silence. He seemed to be concentrating. After a moment he spoke.
"They're in this direction. Or at least Fuyuki is. I can sense his thoughts," he said, pointing into the trees. They all headed into the trees, and after not too long they ran across the campsite. Aki tackled Fuyuki before he even noticed they were there.
"Fuyuki! Thank goodness you're safe!" Aki said, tearing up a little. Fuyuki was shocked.
"Mom? Where did you come from?" he exclaimed. His face was still slightly red, but no one could tell in the dark. Momoka still hadn't returned to camp.
"I led them here," the clone said, stepping out of the shadows. Fuyuki's blush left his face, as well as the rest of his color.
"Wh-what? But, h-how?" Fuyuki stammered.
"Clone," Natsumi explained simply. Fuyuki's eyes widened.
"It doesn't matter! Come on, Fuyuki, we're going home!" Aki exclaimed, grabbing his hand. Fuyuki didn't budge.
"What about Momoka?" Fuyuki asked, looking Aki straight in the eye.
"She has her bodyguards. They can come and get her later. Serves her right for kidnapping you," Aki said, tugging his arm a little harder. Fuyuki stood his ground.
"We can't just leave her here!" he insisted, stronger this time. Everyone stared at him. He flushed again.
"What?" he exclaimed defensively.
"I think that is the first time I've seen you stand up to ANYONE, let alone Mom!" Natsumi exclaimed in shock. The entire rest of the group nodded at that, including the clone, who shared most of his memories. Fuyuki crossed his arms stubbornly. Aki sighed.
"Fine," Aki relented reluctantly. Fuyuki thanked her, and they spread around in groups of twoto search for her, wherever she'd run off to. After nearly an hour, their efforts were still as fruitless as ever. Fuyuki, Tamomi and Tamama were all starting to worry. Everyone else had a similar mindset to Aki. Getting more and more desperate, Fuyuki ran off without Dororo, who was his partner. Dororo was busy traumatizing at the moment, so he didn't notice until it was too late.
"Momoka!" Fuyuki called, running though the woods. He came to the cliff that Momoka and he had sat on, and found a path down to the beach. She wasn't there, but he saw a cave that they hadn't noticed before. Thinking she must have gone down there, Fuyuki went in to search for her. He noticed scratch marks along the sides of the cave. Wild animals, perhaps?
After a few minutes, Fuyuki became aware of a dull thrumming sound, accompanied by a dim pulse of an eerie greenish light. He ran towards it, starting to realize that Momoka's disappearance wasn't her just wandering off. He turned a corner and almost ran into a metal door with a screen next to it. The source of the thrumming was behind the door, but the light was right above it, still pulsing. The screen lit up.
"To pass through this series of doors, you must answer a number of questions about the race of aliens inside," said an automated voice, billowing out from a speaker embedded in the rock of the cave to his right. He frowned. Aliens? They must have taken Momoka for experiments!
The screen displayed a question: 'When did Americans first use the phrase 'little green men' to describe our species?' Fuyuki smiled. Now he knew EVERYTHING he would need to answer any of these stupid questions. No obsessed boy was complete without a thorough knowledge of the 1900's most stereotypical alien species.
"1908 in the Daily Kennebec Journal!" Fuyuki exclaimed. This was HIS now. Don't worry Momoka, I'm coming!
The door slid open. Five feet later, and another door. There was a number at the top of this screen, showing how many doors he still had to pass. Only four more.
Next question: 'When did Harold M. Sherman publish the book entitled "The Green Man: A Visitor From Space", which was actually all about us?'
"1946!" Fuyuki said quickly. The door slid open. This was too easy.
The next two questions were just as easy. The last door came.
'What is the current name for the pulsar previously known as LGM-1, which was once mistaken for a signal from our planet in the next solar system over?'
Fuyuki froze. He knew this! He just had to think. He'd just read something online… but he couldn't quite remember. But he had to save Momoka! The answer came to him.
"PSR B1919+21!" he said, hoping desperately that memory hadn't failed him, when it was so important that he remember. He was right. The door slid open on a lab, where a stereo typical alien had Momoka sedated and strapped to a table.
"Momoka!" Fuyuki said, running into the room. The alien turned around.
"How did you get in here?" he exclaimed angrily.
"Your security system was no match for me! I'm obsessed, and proud of it, so your little pop quiz was a walk in the park!" Fuyuki exclaimed defiantly. He ran over to Momoka.
"What've you done to her? She'd better not be hurt, you jerk!" Fuyuki exclaimed.
"I am simply furthering our ongoing research of the Pekoponians. She has an interesting mentality which we haven't been able to study yet. She would not have been injured in the process," the alien said.
"Well find someone else! I'm taking her back!" Fuyuki said, and released Momoka from the table. She was still out cold.
"How long will she be out?" Fuyuki asked, preparing to carry her back to the others. Normally it would've been an impossible feat, knowing his strength, but whenever adrenaline or aliens were involved, he'd gotten very used to running with Momoka's weight, though it was usually dragging behind him.
"No more than forty-five of your earth minutes," the alien said grudgingly. "But can't I please run some tests on her? Otherwise I have to wait for some other human to run along!"
"NO!" Fuyuki said, and picked Momoka up in a piggyback sort of position, and began making his way out of the alien's base of operations. The doors closed behind him as he left, and soon he'd managed to carry Momoka out to the beach once again. Dororo, who'd been tracking Fuyuki ever since he'd stopped moping and realized he'd gone, had just followed Fuyuki's trail to the beach, and ran to get help. Fuyuki set Momoka down on the sand, still supporting her back so she was in a sitting position, and waited for the rest of the group to come.
"Fuyuki! You found her! What happened?" Natsumi said, rushing over and noticing that Momoka was out cold.
Fuyuki told his story, and Natsumi helped him carry Momoka back to the Aki-bot. Fuyuki wrapped her in a blanket and sat her in the seat next to him so he could keep an eye on her. Natsumi walked over as Aki got prepared to launch.
"You're being awfully protective. It's so cute!" Natsumi teased, and Fuyuki flushed.
"Shut up, Natsumi!" was the only comeback he could think of. Natsumi grinned and walked back to her seat just in time for lift-off.
They were finally going home.