Up Comes Down
It was one of those days in Mabase that you can't describe, mostly cause it never happened before. It's hard to predict the future, no one around Mabase knew how, that's for sure. The past is a lot easier to predict, and since nothing changes in Mabase, that's the norm, the past could easily be assumed to repeat.
Today was strange, weird, new, and not yet part of the past. In a way, that would be the most normal thing Mabase ever knew, a deviance from routine, and a tribute to the inconsitancies of the whole world. Maybe everyone in town could feel it, and maybe no one could, but the day was a break from the straight path they'd been all following for the years that Haruko had been gone.
The sky was cloudy, and it looked as if it were going to rain. Perhaps to signify the dissaray that was this sudden change of pace, the darkest parts of heaven were gathering like a giant shadow in the sky, ready any time to release themselves to the effects of gravity.
The very first rays of light spilled into Naota's room through closed drapes, the suns reach being unblockable by simple thin cloth. The sunlight seemed to make a gravity of it's own, only sticking to the parts of Naota's room that it felt like. Naota's eyes cracked open ever so slightly, and he saw Haruko was still lying next to him.
She had probably been pretty tired after the day before... well, then again, it could have just been laziness. He smiled at her. She was the same as he always remembered that much he knew from the days before. Selfish, rude, obnoxious, loud... by far the biggest mockery of a housekeeped Naota had ever met in his entire life.
Still, she looked kinda cute sprawled out on his bed there, snoring like a chainsaw. Naota's eyes narrowed. The other day, Haruko had woken him up in a less-than-comfortable way. Maybe he could turn the tables.
Nao slowly moved to slide himself over Haruko so that he could get out of the bunk bed, but as soon as he shifted, her yellow eyes shot open. "Takkun!" With that, Naota was pinned back to his bed. Oh well, maybe next time.
Haruko was staring slyly into Naota's eyes, her leg strattled over him, and her chest pressed against his. Their noses were practically touching, and Haruko thought it was just so cute how helpless he looked. "So, Takkun, how's about a little mouth-to-mouth to start the day?"
"You know I won't..."
"And WHY not?" Haruko asked, pressing her lips closer to Naota's head. He turned his face away as best he could, blushing fiercely and angrilly. He wasn't really mad at Haruko, but he was unhappy about the situation.
It was one of those things where swinging might not be worth it. The ball would likely be foul anyhow. As much as Naota wanted to kiss her, he knew it would be for all the wrong reasons on Haruko's end. While Naota was a compassionate, understanding human being for the most part, or at least he thought, Haruko was not a human being even.
He didn't know whether her lips tingled the same way his did when they were together, or if he tasted as sweet to her as she did to him. For god's sake, Naota couldn't even be sure Haruko saw the world through an even vaguely human perspective.
No matter how long his obsession lasted, Naota couldn't let the alien girl draw him in too far just to be incincere in the end. As much as Haruko meant to Naota, he knew well that he was being used.
"Because, it's not just about fooly cooly with me... whatever that must mean to you," said Naota.
"Takkun," Haruko sighed, pressing her lips to his cheek and giving it a quick peck, "Don't you like me anymore, Naota-kun?"
"Of course." Naota said.
"Then why don't you let me give you a little CPR? I'm willing," said Haruko, pushing her lips so close now to Naota's that he could feel them brushing together ever so slightly.
"Because, Haruko," he huffed, "It's not that simple."
"Tell me then, what's it like?" Haruko said sweetly, batting her eyes a couple of times at the teenager below her.
"I don't know..." Naota tried to force his face away from Haruko's, finding it harder than it should have been to get out from under the trim girl who was pinning him.
"You should!" Haruko persisted, trying to get Naota to face her.
"Come on, stop." Naota said, giving up his struggling.
"Just one?" Haruko asked, trying her best to sound needy.
"No!" Naota shouted.
"Come on, Takkun... just a little." Haruko's lips brushed Naota's ear, and he shivered.
"Will you get off of me then?" Naota was losing the fight fast, and he could feel it. It was all getting to the point where he didn't care. He just wanted to give in, and give Haruko that mouth-to-mouth she was pretending to want.
"Fine."
Without thinking Naota pressed his lips to Haruko's, feeling her soft mouth against his for the first time in nearly a decade. The feeling was sensational. It was like electricity flowing from his toes to his feet, up his leg and back and through his spine straight to the top of his... uh-oh.
Naota pulled away from Haruko, and she was smiling at him widely. He couldn't help but smile back, but before he had time to be happy or sad or anything about the kiss, a searing pain shot to his forehead. His eyes shot alert.
"Owowow!" He screamed, clamping his hands to his forehead.
"What's the matter, Naota?" Haruko gasped, pulling away from him, and sitting up on the bed.
"What do you mean 'What's the matter'? You should know! You always do this!" Naota yelled back, his forehead still throbbing.
"It's not me." Haruko said, her mouth hanging open.
"What are you saying? Stop lying for once and tell me what you're up to with all these things!"
"I told you, I didn't do it."
"I can't believe we've known eachother so long, and you still lie to me! I hate you sometimes, dammit." Naota growled, and shook his throbbing head, "Well. not hate, but I don't like being lied to."
"I know that, Naota-kun, and I'm sorry. But it's not me!"
Suddenly, naota's flesh stretched outward, and a spike-like horn emerged from his skin. It quickly decided its position on his skull, and then it fixed itself in an oblong cube, and began to re-define its skin tone to a jet black. Soon, little white numbers appeared on the side, reading '10'. It appeared as if a weight had just been lodged into Naota's skull, and to enforce that, his head dropped to his bed with a quiet thud.
"Gosh, that's not mine at all..."
"Stop lying!" Naota's voice was muffled by his bed's blankets.
"I'm not lying, dammit!"
"Prove it!"
"I didn't HIT you!"
There were moments of awkward silence, as Naota's head remained burried in the mattress. It was the truth... it was the honest truth. She hadn't struck him since the last robot, not even once.
"I'm sorry, Har..."
"Don't worry about it," said Haruko, helping Naota lift his head, "It looks like a weight."
"Haruko, do you really not know what's going on?"
"I really hate to have to say this, but this is as weird to me as it is to you..." very carefully, Haruko prodded the weight with her index finger.
"Ow!" Naota screamed.
"I'm sorry!" said Haruko, and Naota couldn't believe his ears.
"What?"
"I'm... sorry?" Haruko asked, raising one eyebrow.
"I've NEVER heard you say that."
"Well, I've never seen anything like this before... well, things like it, but never without warning or a trigger." Haruko scratched her chin in thought, "I know it must hurt, but can you press it down?"
"I'll try..." Naota said slowly, still recovering from the shock of Haruko apologizing. Carefully, he pressed his hands to the top of the weight, and pushed. With a searing pain, the weight popped down, and was covered by skin. "Ow! Quick, get me a bandaid."
"On it." Haruko leapt off the bed, and ran to the bathroom, emerging moments later with the bandaid. With care (something Haruko rarely practiced), she placed the bandaid over the skin where Naota was holding down the weight. It held. "Better?"
"My head still feels... heavy..."
"I don't think I can do anything about that."
"I understand." Naota said, "Hey haruko... if you didn't do this, who did?"
"I guess I don't know," said Haruko, and her voice sounded pained.
"Then what will we do?" Asked Naota, worriedly.
"The same thing we always do, I guess, Takkun." They exchanged a smile.
------
I felt different after that morning. I could tell I was wrong about Haruko. Maybe she hadn't changed on the outside, but something was different in her. Even though she had thrown me the same string of lies as last time, I knew she wasn't lying when she said it wasn't her fault that weight-shaped horn had sprouted.
It scared me to think of who else might be using my head, or what would pop out of there next. I guess it frightened me because it was new, just like the first horn had scared me. I was so used to Haruko leading the way on these kinds of things I had no clue what to do when she was as lost as I was.
And it shocked me to no end when I sensed from the woman I've wanted since I was a little boy, and known I couldn't have since I grew up, just the slightest hint of compassion. I realized then and there that things weren't a mirror image of the past. The thought that Haruko was around, and I was still vulnerable was scary in the long run. I have to say that my emotions, as well as my actions, were beginning to confuse me.
I had woken up that morning with a lot more weight on my shoulders.
------
"So, Naota, what's with that thing?" Eri was something else. She wasn't anyone Naota would call a friend, not because he didn't like her or anything, but because she treated him strangely for a friend. Sometimes it was like she liked him or something, but she never really acted like that enough for Naota to make heads or tails of it.
Maybe she was just using him the same way Haruko had once... well, maybe, but maybe not. Naota knew she did once, but after the morning's revelation with Haruko, he had his doubts that anything actually was as it seemed. It was beginning to occur to Naota that he had spent too much time focussing on his own changes to observe anything else.
Naota placed his hand very delicately over the bandaid, feeling the soft, rubbery surface of the peach colored square of anti-bacterial protection. "It's nothing."
"You're lying to me, Naota," said Eri, slyly, "I remember, you used to wear things like that a lot."
"Look, it's really no big deal." Naota urged, sounding a little bit annoyed. They were sitting on the steps of Eri's house, a two-story home that was like a palace compared to Naota's own abode. He wasn't sure why he always went over there... since Haruko had left all that time ago, he and Eri had become rather good friends, and whenever she called he'd usually come over and they'd hang out for a while.
The rainclouds were still dwelling bleakly in Mabase's skys, and their blackness would overshadow the sun sometimes, making an artificial kind of night. Naota knew it would rain soon, but hardly cared.
"You're such a horrid liar." Eri said, punching Naota's shoulder, "You know, I know your street was destroyed the other day. What was that all about? That girl... the Vespa girl, she's back, huh?"
"Well..." Naota nervously scratched at the back of his head, "Yeah. I wasn't going to bring it up, but she showed up. I didn't want to upset you, I know you didn't like her very much last time. It's not like I invited her."
"You're happy she's back though, right?"
"Well," naota sighed, trying to think of what to say, "I don't know. I guess I did kinda miss her... a litte."
"You're so full of it."
"Hey, you know what...?" Naota trailed off, turning and narrowing his eyes at Eri. She giggled.
Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder. The clouds had picked just the perfect time to speak, and without a seconds more hesitation, water began to fall, dispersing harshly on the earth, which pulled them to the lowest points it could find, drawing in each droplet like some kind of hungry beast.
"Naota, you should come inside the house for once. No one is home, we could watch TV or at least sit on chairs. It'd be nicer than getting soaked." It was true Naota usually refused to enter Eri's house. It wasn't that he did not want to go in, or anything. He just felt awkward going into the household of Mabase's mayor. Naota glanced around nervously. Well, it was better than walking around in the rain. Then again...
"Nah, I don't think..."
"Come on in, Naota, or I'll be mad at you." Eri said, grabbing Naota by the cuff of his sweatshirt, and pulling on him. Her grip was much more delicate than Haruko's, but something about her weak grip made him more drawn to entering the house. Finally, Naota stood up, and gave Eri a haphazard smile.
"Fine, okay."
With a little giggle, Eri pulled Naota along very lightly, opening the door and leading him in. The front room of the huge house was an entryway lined with doors. Opposite the door to the yard was a hallway, with a staircase on its right leading up into the top of the house. "This is exciting! We've known eachother for years, and you've never even been past this part of the house. I want to show you my room!"
Naota followed Eri as she bounced her way into the hallway and up the stairs. At the peak of the stairs was another hallway, running the opposite horizon of the one below. She pulled Naota left down the hall to a door with a blue and yellow etch-a-sketch reading "Eri-chan's room" on it. Naota rolled his eyes. Normal girls were so cheesy.
Eri opened the door to reveal a comfortable little room. There was a large bed tucked to one corner, covered in pillows and blue blankets, and adorned with just a couple of teddy-bears. The room was painted blue, and the windowsill was a white color, and the blinds were drawn so that light couldn't filter in all the way. The room was very cozy.
Eri ushered Naota in, and then she stepped around him, taking a seat on her bed. She smiled at him, and patted next to her for him to sit down. Naota abliged, slinking over to her blue bed, taking a seat next to her.
"So, like my room, Naota-kun?"
"Naota-kun?" Naota asked, "That's new."
"Hey, so what, I can't call you Naota-kun? I bet that girl on the Vespa does."
"No, you can," said Naota, simply, "I just didn't think you would."
"Oh," Eri thought for a second, and then decided to change the subject, "So,if she's back, is that why that thing is on your head?"
"It might have something to do with her, but it's not her fault this time." Naota said, "See, she didn't want this one there."
"What is with it then?"
"We don't know yet."
"Do you think another one of those things will come around, like last time?" Eri asked, frowning.
"I dunno... I'd bet that it will though." Naota sighed, falling backwards on Eri's bed. "This is a comfortable bed."
"So, what, you back in the robot fighting biz? Protecting the town?" Eri asked, leaning back on her elbow, and smiling at Naota.
"It wasn't me, remember? It was Canti all along, I was just ammo." Naota said, darkly, "Being used, just like every other time."
"Well, what about when the sattalite was falling, or when that big red bird appeared?" Eri said, placing her hand on Naota's like she always had when she was trying to get something important across to him, "It was you all of those times."
"It was all no big deal."
"It thought it was kinda cool, actually." Eri said, and she immediately blushed. "I mean... you know, you saved the whole town."
"I never would have been able to without Haruko."
"The Vespa Woman?" Eri asked, raising an eyebrow, "Well, you know, with or without her, Naota. You were amazing."
"Eri?" Naota looked up at her from where he lay on her blue bed. The girl was smiling at him, and staring into his eyes. She looked a little like she was sad, about to cry or something. Then, she started to lean towards him. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, come on Naota," Eri said, letting her whole body rest up against his. Her face was nearing his, and Naota was both nervous and confused by the whole thing. "We've been best friends for three years, this was bound to come up."
"What do you mean?" Best friends? Was that what they were? Naota's head spun a litte, and he was beginning to tremble. How could he have been so naieve? Of course they were friends, he was over there with her so often... but...
"I'll show you." With what seemed like a reluctant motion, Eri pressed quivering lips to her friend's mouth. Noata was too shocked to move or kiss or fooly cooly or anything. He just lay still there, with Ninamori Eri, the mayor's daughter, kissing him. After a moment, Eri pulled back, her eyes glazed with fear, and she gave Naota a pleading look.
She looked about to cry, and Naota knew he had to do something. "Eri, don't take it the wrong way. I was just surprised." Naota said, trying to appease his friend.
"Then what's wrong?"
"It's just sudden, that's all." Naota said, his heart racing. He was always a bit interested in Eri, but she couldn't have picked a worse time. With Haruko around, things like romance weren't nearly achievable.
"Just sudden, eh? Does that mean... you're not mad?" Eri asked, narrowing her eyes slyly at Naota. Her little pointed nose was tounching his, and Naota knew what she wanted. Eri was accustomed to getting what she wanted, too.
"No, I'm not mad." Agreed Nao. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't just push Eri off of him, and part of him even wanted to kiss her too, but something held him back. Things were already so complex.
"Then let's try it again." Eri persisted pushing her lips against Naota's once more. He returned the kiss, feeling a little electric under Eri's lips. This time, she didn't stop. Naota watched, still a bit amazed, as Eri closed her eyes and let her mouth keep pressing at his, kissing deeply, and passonately.
Naota had done things like this before, with a girl he knew a long time ago down by the river. Mamimi had always kissed him like that, but Mamimi's kisses lacked something that Eri's had. Eri made Naota feel like kissing back, and with hunger to match her own.
Soon, the two were lost to eachother's mouths. Eri threw a leg over Naota, straddling him much like Haruko always liked to do. Something was growing in Naota, and he was falling into a trap of his own creation. With nothing on his mind but the teenage girl above him, Naota rolled over, placing Eri below his body.
He learned one thing from Haruko, some risks, some swings had to be taken, whether they were hits or misses. Naota pushed the fingers on his right hand up through violet hair, feeling the silky softness of Eri's head to be quite relaxing. She moaned softly into his mouth, and he felt a shiver.
Then, something Naota hadn't expected happened, to put it ironically. He felt something snake along his leg, and before he had time to relax, he realized where Eri's hand had landed. A shock ran from Naota's feet to his spine and straight to his head.
"Owowow!"
"Oh my gosh, did I hurt you?" Naota leapt off of Eri, landing beside her on the bed. He clutched the band-aid on his forehead and shivered. "Oh, it's that?"
"Yeah, I don't know what happened. It hurt right when you..."
Eri blushed, knowing exactly what Naota was talking about. She was only doing what she had wanted to do. She was 17 years old, and home alone with a young boy who she had loved since the 6th grade, it was only natural.
Naota tried to lift his head, but it was unexpectedly heavy. Adjusting to the weight, Naota finally managed to sit up straight, and he sat still for a moment, getting his bearings. The pain faded, but Naota could feel the weight in his skull.
"Are you okay?" Eri asked, looking worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine now," said Naota.
"Oh..." There were moments of silence, and then Eri blushed once more. Naota gave her a look, and she responded by saying, "We can go on then, right?"
Without anymore words, Eri was immediately ontop of Naota once more.
-----
I guess it was just a little bit weird. Ninamori and I fooled around on her bed for a couple of hours, and then she told me I had to go so that I wasn't around when her father got back. I got up to leave, and she kissed me on the lips, very softly. I didn't know what I was doing, so I just kissed back.
It was so different, doing that kind of thing with Eri. I had felt something when her lips were against mine that I never felt before. It was strange, and pure. Like something about the way she kissed showed a new emotion I never got from Haruko or Mamimi.
I think it was that Eri was kissing Naota, not Takkun. That, and she was kissing Naota for a better reason. The nearer I got to home, the havier my head weighed. I was hoping I'd see Haruko near the bridge, but she was nowhere in sight. I figured that it'd be faster to get home on the Vespa. It was, afterall, faster to get anywhere on the Vespa.
The rain was pouring down, and it only reminded me that gravity had a hold of me. I was helpless under my own weight, sluggish, and barely moving. Something inside me was holding me back, and I couldn't see well enough, or muster enough strength to move forward strongly.
I knew my head could not be empty anymore, because if it were it wouldn't have felt like a lead weight. The more the people around me contributed to the problems I faced, the more weight I carried on my shoulders. Part of me wanted the horn to sprout right then and there.
When I finally got home, it was time for dinner. I was soaked. My head felt like it was heavier than the whole Earth.
-----
"Ah, Naota-kun, just in time! We're having curry, in honor of Haruko-san returning to us," said Kamon, cheerfully. Haruko, Kamon and Naota's grandfather were all seated at the table, chomping painfully away at the spicy rice-like substance in their bowls.
Naota smiled, "I hate that stuff." He said as he took a seat. His bowl was already full and waiting.
"Well, you're a big boy, so I didn't get you the mild kind." Haruko said, winking at Naota. He rolled his eyes, grabbing his spoon and shoveling into the spicy curry. He put the spoon to his nose, and sniffed. A spicy thrill ran up Naota's sinuses, and for a second his head became even harder than it was to hold up, even with that lead weight in there.
"Naw, I don't need that stuff," said Naota, taking a bite, "Doesn't mean I have to like this stuff." Naota felt his eyes water as he stomached the burning curry. Spicy things weren't any fun for him, but it wasn't so bad. If he ate it without complaining, Haruko wouldn't insist on it every night.
"Yeah, I got a new recepy for Curry Bread, too, Takkun!" Haruko announced, leanign over the table. Her bowl was already empty, "And it's completely fooly cooly."
"Fooly... cooly...?" Kamon asked, raising one eyebrow. Naota set his spoon down, knowing that the conversation could get physical in the most uncomfortable of ways any second. It always did. "Aha! So I see, that must be some kind of code. You two aren't sneaking something around, are you? Hmmm?"
"Oh, of COURSE not, Mon-chan." Haruko mused, batting her eyelids.
"Ah, you cannot hide these things from me!" Kamon announced, trowing his hand to he air.
"Will you shut up!?" Yelled Grandpa, "It's bad enough I have to eat leftovers instead of Haruko's curry, and you're here griping about this and that. You always were a whiner."
"Noodles, Grandpa?" Naota asked, looking up from his curry. His face was boiling just from the couple of bites he had taken.
"Maybe Grandpa's as much of a lightweight as you are, huh Takkun?" Haruko said, smartly, chewing on a bite of curry.
"No, it's a gastro-intestinal thing," explained Grandpa, chewing a mouthfull of noodle, "If eat that spicy stuff, I'll be in the bathroom all night."
"Sorry I asked..." Noata shrugged, and returned to his curry.
"Rrrr..." meanwhile, Kamon was fuming red. He clenched his fist, slammed it on the table, and shouted, "Don't try to change the subject! You two still haven't explained yourselves."
"What are you talking about?" Naota asked, setting his spoon down again, and giving Kamon a strange look.
"Don't give me that!" Yelled Kamon, "You know very well what I'm talking about!"
"Oh, Takkun, he knows!" Cried Haruko, throwing her arms around Naota. He rolled his eyes.
"Do you plan these things?" He asked them.
"Ah, so it's a plan!" Kamon yelled.
"I can't win this, can I?" Naota chuckled, letting his eyes settle on Haruko who was busy hiding her face in his chest.
"What?! What do I know?! Are you two doing perverted things behind my back again!"
"She does just as many perverted things in front of your back, dad." Naota laughed, stuffing more curry into his mouth. Kamon picked up a magazine off the table, and slapped Naota's head with it, causing him to choke on his curry.
"These lies will not do, Naota!" yelled Kamon, "Come clean now! You can't hide these things from me."
Naota coughed a couple of times until the curry dislodged itself from the odd angle it kept in his throat. He looked angrilly up at Kamon, and said, "Hey, look, she's the one who's being all perverted all the time, not me."
"Naota, we cannot hide our love from Mon-chan any longer!" Haruko was over- acting again, throwing more drama than needed by a whole acting school into one line. "Let's run away together, and elope!"
"What!!" Kamon yelled, gritting his teeth together. "So, running away with an older woman, eh Naota-kun?"
"Look, the only place I'm going is my room." Naota said, standing up. "Knowing you guys, I'd say Haruko will follow me in a half an hour, when you shut up about fooly cooly."
"So, Naota-kun, running away I see?" Kamon said, smiling widely, "You'll never get away with this! I know your tricks!"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Takkun, take me away from here!"
"Hey, let go!" Haruko had latched herself to Naota's legs, keeping him from moving at all.
"See you two?" Kamon laughed triumfantly, "Fooly Coolying all over the place like some kind of... something that... fooly coolys..."
The night went on in that manner. Eventually, Kamon got tired of arguing about fooly cooly, or whatever it was, and he decided to walk off to watch Trigun for awhile.
Naota climbed the stairs to his room, Haruko only steps behind him. He heard her yawn loudly.
"I noticed you're carrying your head a little weird, Naota-kun. Did something happen today?" Haruko asked. He could hear that little edge of sympathy in her voice again, and it made his neck kind of tickly.
"Well, it got heavier, that's for sure." Naota didn't know why, but he felt like he couldn't tell Haruko about Eri. It seemed like it'd upset her, why was beyond him. It wasn't like Haruko really cared about anything but herself.
"Why? Did it just happen all the sudden?"
"It happened well I was at Eri's." Naota said, shrugging. He sat down on his bed, leaning his back against the wall. "It's been tiring to carry this thing around all day. I'm wiped out."
"So, you were just sitting around and it got heavier."
"Well," Naota paused for a moment, "Yeah, yeah that's it."
"Weird."
"It's even weirder to hear you say that word so sincerely." They both shared a quick laugh.
"Come stand up next to me, Naota." Haruko commanded, waving the boy to get up.
"Haruko, I'm too tired to stand."
"Come on, Naota, real quick?" Haruko pleaded. Naota sighed, and then stood up. He walked across the room, and stood before Haruko.
"Wow, you've really grown, Takkun." Haruko said, smiling and walking around the boy. He was a little taller than her now.
"You haven't changed."
"I know, why should I?" Haruko chuckled, "I like me how I am."
"Me too."
"You don't act like it sometimes." Haruko said. Naota felt his heart sink, and apparently Haruko knew it. "Takkun, don't worry, I won't leave you again."
Haruko stepped close to Naota, putting her arms around him, "Afterall, you've become such a strong boy."
"Haruko..." Naota said, softly. He felt something beginning to tingle in his spine, but he payed it no mind. The alien girl before him was acting strangely intoxicating.
"Hey, now you've grown up so much, maybe you deserve this," said Haruko, smiling slyly. Then, she kissed him. It took Naota off guard, but it wasn't so weird to be kissed by Haruko. Then, suddenly, something shocked him. It felt like he wa beign kissed by Eri again.
Naota kissed back, feeling something weird in his whole body. Was Haruko kissing him because she wanted to? Or was it another one of her games? For the first time, Haruko's CPR felt real. Naota was trembling again, and another electric surge ran from his feet to his head.
"Owww!" Yelled Naota, braking the kiss, and clapping his hands to his head.
"Hey, you okay? That was a really good kiss, Takkun... been practicing?" Haruko joked, looking at Naota sympathetically. The pain was no real danger, not until anything sprouted anyway, so it was best to just let it happen.
Then, Naota raised his head up to look at Haruko again, but something was wrong. He didn't stop, and his whole head and body went tumbling backwards, straight into his window. Naota flopped over the edge, and through the balcony, out onto the street below, leaving a gaping hole where he hit.
"Naota!" Yelled Haruko, rushing to the hole he had made and looking down at the fallen Naota.
Naota pushed himself up from the ground below, and his head was throbbing. It was so heavy, he thought his neck would snap. He looked up at Haruko, and tried to smile, but then the band-aid fell off.
It was more sudden than anything, and twice as bizarre as Mabase city had ever seen as the horn shot outward. It was black allright, just like a big weight, but now it said '100' instead of '10'. Naota was flung away by whatever it was that had emerged from his skull.
The new robot stood up, thudding the ground with each motion of its massive feet. Its head was the black 100-pound weight, and its body was shaped like an anvil. A large dumbell ran through the 'shoulder' parts of the anivil, and green robotic arms laced in purple gel were attached to them. The robot's Anivil torso sat atop a pair of green robotic hips and legs. Its right fist was a hand, but it's left seemed to be a gargantuan hammer. The bots head spun, until rather than the number '100' facing Naota, a set of goggle-like red lenses were glowing at him like menacing eyes.
It was still torrenting down rain outside, and each dropplet was bouncing off the metal of the robot's arms and legs, making noises like a thousand pins being dropped all at once.
Canti, their robot housekeeper, who happened to be beating out the futons on the balcony, had leapt off of the house and was standing on the ground near the robot. Canti punched at the larger bot, but his hand stopped uselessly.
Much like a fly, the larger robot batter Canti to the side, sending him crashing through one of the walls of Naota's house.
"Naota!" Naota turned his head until he could see Haruko, who tossed the Gibson EB0 to him. He cought it. The robot was hulking forward slowly, and before it had nearly reached him, Haruko was by his side with the EA1433 Explorer. "That things weird, I've never seen a robot like it. It's not Medical Mechanica."
"Who could it be then?"
"I don't know! Now's not the time, let's take it out. It's slow, so it might be easy." Haruko urged, rushing forward. She was nearly ready to hit the beast, when a flash of purple light shot out around it. Naota could see Haruko was surrounded, along with the robot, in a gigantic sphere of purple, and Haruko's guitar suddenly slammed to the ground, cracking the pavement.
"Haruko, what's wrong?" Naota called. He watched as Haruko pulled at her guitar a couple of times, unable to lift it.
"Everything just got really heavy!" Haruko yelled back, giving up trying to lift her guitar. With all her alien might, Haruko began to 'dash' as fast as it was possible through the purple mist of energy.
"What do we do?"
"Come help!" Haruko yelled. Naota rushed forward, stopping at the edge of the purple haze. The robot was about 50 feet inside the globe of purple. Naota gulped, and stepped in.
His Gibson EB0 immediately slammed to the ground, weighing more than 10 times what it normally did, easily. He tugged to no avail. The robot was closing in on him, and its hammer was aimed directly over him. It had apparently paid no heed to the nearly immobile Haruko. Each little drop of rain felt like a separate little hammer pounding on Naota, and it didn't help. As the hammer came down, Naota was able to muster just enough strength to step out of the way. Allthough he felt the shock of the hammer just inches from his guitar, it wasn't even enough to rip his feet from the ground and knock him over.
"You can do it Naota! You have to lift the guitar!"
Naota struggled, finally raising the guitar up, just in time to defend himself from the next blow from the machine. He tumbled with all the weight. He didn't even notice his forehead glowing a bright red.
Naota hefted the guitar to swing again, but it slammed back down to the ground.
"It's too heavy!" Naota yelled back.
"You have to! It's going to kill you if you don't!" Haruko was screaming hysterically, another first time for an emotion from the alien, as far as Naota knew.
"Come help!" Naota heard Haruko thudding over to him. She slipped under the robots legs as smoothly as she could, and stuggled over to Naota. She stood behind him, like they were practicing batting, and helped him lift the guitar up. They stood together, ready to swing, and it took all they had to hold the bat. The robot was nearing them slowly but surely, and there was no option but to go for it.
"Ready?" Haruko asked, her lips on Naota's ear.
"Yeah..." Naota took a deep breath, and got ready to swing. "Tasuku," he whispered, and the light on his head grew brighter. With power no human could muster, Naota and Haruko moved together, lifting the guitar high, and slamming it back to the ground in front of the monster in one clean swing.
The overly-sturdy guitar strummed its warcry, and the street mimicked a wave out at sea. The rolling carpet of asphalt reached the robots feet, and sent it flying into the air. Haruko and Naota stumbled and gasped for breath as they returned to their normal weights.
"Now go get it!" Haruko yelled.
"How? It's too high!" complained Naota, still gasping.
"You can make it!" Haruko said, grabbing the back of his shirt, and tossing him into the air with impressive strength. His flight easily overcame the robot, sending him high above the creature who was still enveloped in its purple gravity shield, and he wonder why it had impeded Haruko so much with arms like that.
Naota realized he was above the robot, and his guitar was still with him. It was rainign hard, especially up so high, and Naota couldn't decipher the best course of action. Doing the only thing he could think to do, Naota hurled the guitar southward, watching it hit the putple shield and accelerate two-fold immediately. The speeding bass slammed down on the lead skull of the robot below, and the bot cracked down the center.
The weight fell in half, coming off the 'neck' of the bot, and immediately falling victim to the effects of gravity. The heavy metal began to plummit Earthword, and the rest of the robot was following fast. Naota wondered if he'd land okay himself.
Before he had a chance to hit the ground though, he felt hands grabbing his shoulders. He turned his head to see Canti hovering next to him.
Back on the ground below, Haruko was scrambling for the EA1433 Explorer she had discarded from the wieght it had gained moments earlier. She was just able to scramble across the shattered asphalt in time to recover her instrument and get out of the way before the robot returned to the ground, sending shockwaves through the surface of the little city. Naota watched the street below as car windows shattered from the shock.
"Canti, take me down, it's safe now!" Naota urged, but the robot remained in the air, it's television like face virtually expressionless. It seemed to be gazing downward, and Noata turned his gaze back to Haruko.
The alien girl had dashed back to the destroyed robot, where she proceeded to lodge her guitar under a loose bit between the bot and the ground. Naota hadn't gotten much chance to consider what Haruko was up to before she pushed down on the neck of her guitar, the leverage acting like a catapult, sending the robot skyward.
The hunk of metal rushed past Naota and Canti, missing them by mere inches, and it sped off into the sky above, showing up as little more than a twinkle in the distance to Naota's eyes.
Canti then proceeded to let himself descend towards the Earth below, at a much slower velocity than the other robot had. He landed smoothly, setting Naota down. It was only now, after the adrenalin was gone, that Naota realized how wobbly his legs felt with all the extra weight gone. He felt as though he weighed even less than he had before the horn had appeared.
"Haruko, what just happened?" Naota asked her, as if he didn't know. She looked at him blankly. Her clothes were sopping from the vicious rain falling around them. His were too.
"It went up."
"Well, what about when it comes down?" Naota urged, "That's what I mean, what if it does more damage?"
"If it does come down," said Haruko, "It'll be a different down. That thing's not on this planet in any form of the expression anymore. There are places where gravity doesn't work, you know?"
"Ha..." Naota smiled, and then he laughed loudly. He couldn't help himself.
"What's so funny?"
"It's just the things you do, Haruko."
"Well, a kid like you shouldn't have that kind of weight on his shoulders, so I sent it all packing." Haruko said, smiling, "Can't expect you to carry around that much, just cause you're so grown up."
"Don't want weight on my shoulders, huh?" Naota asked, "Then tell me the truth, Haruko. Why are you back here?"
"So you want to know the truth?" Haruko said, smiling, "Well, then first I'm going to have to have another one of those great kisses, Takkun."
"Oh brother," said Naota, glumly, "So, another kiss, like before, and you swear you'll tell?"
"I swear it on my heart, my beloved!" Haruko mused, taking Naota in her arms once more.
"You're way too dramatic, you know?"
"Shut up and make with the mouth-to-mouth, Takkun," huffed Haruko. They kissed again, and it didn't feel quite the same as it had a while ago. Something was there that hadn't been there before, and Naota could just barely tell what it was - added gravity.
The rain stopped before they were through.
------
So, the bandaid was gone again, and Haruko and I were once again living the most normal life we could. I dind't know what to do about Eri, but I was sure I'd figure it out eventually. At the time, that didn't matter. I knew something would come up eventually, and I was going to have to decide what it was I really felt.
These kinds of feelings are tough, and I don't think that's a question of maturity. It's hard to tell sometimes who's using who, and I guess, in a way, Haruko, Eri, and I were all using eachother. I suppose being used doesn't necessarily mean without feeling.
Something about those two girls made me understand that they weren't there for no reason. They weren't with me just to break my heart, or take advantage of me, or anything like that... even if that was part of it.
The problem was trying to decide why I was there.
After we kissed, Haruko made good on her promise. It sounded like another lie, and I couldn't be sure yet, but my instincts told me that Haruko's voice spoke sincerity. She told me a lot of things I didn't get yet, but she said I would soon. What was most important, and easiest to understand was that Haruko was here for a different reason than last time... the entire planet was in danger, and it had something to do with Tasuku. My brother.
So, I guess maybe not ALL the weight had been lifted.
I asked Haruko why she decided to be so nice to me all the sudden, and she just smiled and said, "It's actually true Takkun... you can kiss."
-End-
"Well, you can't put too much acclaim on the Lita Ford version, but it was especially nice when Reel Big Fish did it. You see, just cause someone can't rock doesn't mean they can't write. She may have been a junkie, but that was genuis. I think the RBF version was only better cause of the quicker pace, but the biggest problem was that it ended too soon. Some things just can't be perfect."
"Next time on FLCL, Episode 3: 100 Beats/Second! So keep in time!"
It was one of those days in Mabase that you can't describe, mostly cause it never happened before. It's hard to predict the future, no one around Mabase knew how, that's for sure. The past is a lot easier to predict, and since nothing changes in Mabase, that's the norm, the past could easily be assumed to repeat.
Today was strange, weird, new, and not yet part of the past. In a way, that would be the most normal thing Mabase ever knew, a deviance from routine, and a tribute to the inconsitancies of the whole world. Maybe everyone in town could feel it, and maybe no one could, but the day was a break from the straight path they'd been all following for the years that Haruko had been gone.
The sky was cloudy, and it looked as if it were going to rain. Perhaps to signify the dissaray that was this sudden change of pace, the darkest parts of heaven were gathering like a giant shadow in the sky, ready any time to release themselves to the effects of gravity.
The very first rays of light spilled into Naota's room through closed drapes, the suns reach being unblockable by simple thin cloth. The sunlight seemed to make a gravity of it's own, only sticking to the parts of Naota's room that it felt like. Naota's eyes cracked open ever so slightly, and he saw Haruko was still lying next to him.
She had probably been pretty tired after the day before... well, then again, it could have just been laziness. He smiled at her. She was the same as he always remembered that much he knew from the days before. Selfish, rude, obnoxious, loud... by far the biggest mockery of a housekeeped Naota had ever met in his entire life.
Still, she looked kinda cute sprawled out on his bed there, snoring like a chainsaw. Naota's eyes narrowed. The other day, Haruko had woken him up in a less-than-comfortable way. Maybe he could turn the tables.
Nao slowly moved to slide himself over Haruko so that he could get out of the bunk bed, but as soon as he shifted, her yellow eyes shot open. "Takkun!" With that, Naota was pinned back to his bed. Oh well, maybe next time.
Haruko was staring slyly into Naota's eyes, her leg strattled over him, and her chest pressed against his. Their noses were practically touching, and Haruko thought it was just so cute how helpless he looked. "So, Takkun, how's about a little mouth-to-mouth to start the day?"
"You know I won't..."
"And WHY not?" Haruko asked, pressing her lips closer to Naota's head. He turned his face away as best he could, blushing fiercely and angrilly. He wasn't really mad at Haruko, but he was unhappy about the situation.
It was one of those things where swinging might not be worth it. The ball would likely be foul anyhow. As much as Naota wanted to kiss her, he knew it would be for all the wrong reasons on Haruko's end. While Naota was a compassionate, understanding human being for the most part, or at least he thought, Haruko was not a human being even.
He didn't know whether her lips tingled the same way his did when they were together, or if he tasted as sweet to her as she did to him. For god's sake, Naota couldn't even be sure Haruko saw the world through an even vaguely human perspective.
No matter how long his obsession lasted, Naota couldn't let the alien girl draw him in too far just to be incincere in the end. As much as Haruko meant to Naota, he knew well that he was being used.
"Because, it's not just about fooly cooly with me... whatever that must mean to you," said Naota.
"Takkun," Haruko sighed, pressing her lips to his cheek and giving it a quick peck, "Don't you like me anymore, Naota-kun?"
"Of course." Naota said.
"Then why don't you let me give you a little CPR? I'm willing," said Haruko, pushing her lips so close now to Naota's that he could feel them brushing together ever so slightly.
"Because, Haruko," he huffed, "It's not that simple."
"Tell me then, what's it like?" Haruko said sweetly, batting her eyes a couple of times at the teenager below her.
"I don't know..." Naota tried to force his face away from Haruko's, finding it harder than it should have been to get out from under the trim girl who was pinning him.
"You should!" Haruko persisted, trying to get Naota to face her.
"Come on, stop." Naota said, giving up his struggling.
"Just one?" Haruko asked, trying her best to sound needy.
"No!" Naota shouted.
"Come on, Takkun... just a little." Haruko's lips brushed Naota's ear, and he shivered.
"Will you get off of me then?" Naota was losing the fight fast, and he could feel it. It was all getting to the point where he didn't care. He just wanted to give in, and give Haruko that mouth-to-mouth she was pretending to want.
"Fine."
Without thinking Naota pressed his lips to Haruko's, feeling her soft mouth against his for the first time in nearly a decade. The feeling was sensational. It was like electricity flowing from his toes to his feet, up his leg and back and through his spine straight to the top of his... uh-oh.
Naota pulled away from Haruko, and she was smiling at him widely. He couldn't help but smile back, but before he had time to be happy or sad or anything about the kiss, a searing pain shot to his forehead. His eyes shot alert.
"Owowow!" He screamed, clamping his hands to his forehead.
"What's the matter, Naota?" Haruko gasped, pulling away from him, and sitting up on the bed.
"What do you mean 'What's the matter'? You should know! You always do this!" Naota yelled back, his forehead still throbbing.
"It's not me." Haruko said, her mouth hanging open.
"What are you saying? Stop lying for once and tell me what you're up to with all these things!"
"I told you, I didn't do it."
"I can't believe we've known eachother so long, and you still lie to me! I hate you sometimes, dammit." Naota growled, and shook his throbbing head, "Well. not hate, but I don't like being lied to."
"I know that, Naota-kun, and I'm sorry. But it's not me!"
Suddenly, naota's flesh stretched outward, and a spike-like horn emerged from his skin. It quickly decided its position on his skull, and then it fixed itself in an oblong cube, and began to re-define its skin tone to a jet black. Soon, little white numbers appeared on the side, reading '10'. It appeared as if a weight had just been lodged into Naota's skull, and to enforce that, his head dropped to his bed with a quiet thud.
"Gosh, that's not mine at all..."
"Stop lying!" Naota's voice was muffled by his bed's blankets.
"I'm not lying, dammit!"
"Prove it!"
"I didn't HIT you!"
There were moments of awkward silence, as Naota's head remained burried in the mattress. It was the truth... it was the honest truth. She hadn't struck him since the last robot, not even once.
"I'm sorry, Har..."
"Don't worry about it," said Haruko, helping Naota lift his head, "It looks like a weight."
"Haruko, do you really not know what's going on?"
"I really hate to have to say this, but this is as weird to me as it is to you..." very carefully, Haruko prodded the weight with her index finger.
"Ow!" Naota screamed.
"I'm sorry!" said Haruko, and Naota couldn't believe his ears.
"What?"
"I'm... sorry?" Haruko asked, raising one eyebrow.
"I've NEVER heard you say that."
"Well, I've never seen anything like this before... well, things like it, but never without warning or a trigger." Haruko scratched her chin in thought, "I know it must hurt, but can you press it down?"
"I'll try..." Naota said slowly, still recovering from the shock of Haruko apologizing. Carefully, he pressed his hands to the top of the weight, and pushed. With a searing pain, the weight popped down, and was covered by skin. "Ow! Quick, get me a bandaid."
"On it." Haruko leapt off the bed, and ran to the bathroom, emerging moments later with the bandaid. With care (something Haruko rarely practiced), she placed the bandaid over the skin where Naota was holding down the weight. It held. "Better?"
"My head still feels... heavy..."
"I don't think I can do anything about that."
"I understand." Naota said, "Hey haruko... if you didn't do this, who did?"
"I guess I don't know," said Haruko, and her voice sounded pained.
"Then what will we do?" Asked Naota, worriedly.
"The same thing we always do, I guess, Takkun." They exchanged a smile.
------
I felt different after that morning. I could tell I was wrong about Haruko. Maybe she hadn't changed on the outside, but something was different in her. Even though she had thrown me the same string of lies as last time, I knew she wasn't lying when she said it wasn't her fault that weight-shaped horn had sprouted.
It scared me to think of who else might be using my head, or what would pop out of there next. I guess it frightened me because it was new, just like the first horn had scared me. I was so used to Haruko leading the way on these kinds of things I had no clue what to do when she was as lost as I was.
And it shocked me to no end when I sensed from the woman I've wanted since I was a little boy, and known I couldn't have since I grew up, just the slightest hint of compassion. I realized then and there that things weren't a mirror image of the past. The thought that Haruko was around, and I was still vulnerable was scary in the long run. I have to say that my emotions, as well as my actions, were beginning to confuse me.
I had woken up that morning with a lot more weight on my shoulders.
------
"So, Naota, what's with that thing?" Eri was something else. She wasn't anyone Naota would call a friend, not because he didn't like her or anything, but because she treated him strangely for a friend. Sometimes it was like she liked him or something, but she never really acted like that enough for Naota to make heads or tails of it.
Maybe she was just using him the same way Haruko had once... well, maybe, but maybe not. Naota knew she did once, but after the morning's revelation with Haruko, he had his doubts that anything actually was as it seemed. It was beginning to occur to Naota that he had spent too much time focussing on his own changes to observe anything else.
Naota placed his hand very delicately over the bandaid, feeling the soft, rubbery surface of the peach colored square of anti-bacterial protection. "It's nothing."
"You're lying to me, Naota," said Eri, slyly, "I remember, you used to wear things like that a lot."
"Look, it's really no big deal." Naota urged, sounding a little bit annoyed. They were sitting on the steps of Eri's house, a two-story home that was like a palace compared to Naota's own abode. He wasn't sure why he always went over there... since Haruko had left all that time ago, he and Eri had become rather good friends, and whenever she called he'd usually come over and they'd hang out for a while.
The rainclouds were still dwelling bleakly in Mabase's skys, and their blackness would overshadow the sun sometimes, making an artificial kind of night. Naota knew it would rain soon, but hardly cared.
"You're such a horrid liar." Eri said, punching Naota's shoulder, "You know, I know your street was destroyed the other day. What was that all about? That girl... the Vespa girl, she's back, huh?"
"Well..." Naota nervously scratched at the back of his head, "Yeah. I wasn't going to bring it up, but she showed up. I didn't want to upset you, I know you didn't like her very much last time. It's not like I invited her."
"You're happy she's back though, right?"
"Well," naota sighed, trying to think of what to say, "I don't know. I guess I did kinda miss her... a litte."
"You're so full of it."
"Hey, you know what...?" Naota trailed off, turning and narrowing his eyes at Eri. She giggled.
Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder. The clouds had picked just the perfect time to speak, and without a seconds more hesitation, water began to fall, dispersing harshly on the earth, which pulled them to the lowest points it could find, drawing in each droplet like some kind of hungry beast.
"Naota, you should come inside the house for once. No one is home, we could watch TV or at least sit on chairs. It'd be nicer than getting soaked." It was true Naota usually refused to enter Eri's house. It wasn't that he did not want to go in, or anything. He just felt awkward going into the household of Mabase's mayor. Naota glanced around nervously. Well, it was better than walking around in the rain. Then again...
"Nah, I don't think..."
"Come on in, Naota, or I'll be mad at you." Eri said, grabbing Naota by the cuff of his sweatshirt, and pulling on him. Her grip was much more delicate than Haruko's, but something about her weak grip made him more drawn to entering the house. Finally, Naota stood up, and gave Eri a haphazard smile.
"Fine, okay."
With a little giggle, Eri pulled Naota along very lightly, opening the door and leading him in. The front room of the huge house was an entryway lined with doors. Opposite the door to the yard was a hallway, with a staircase on its right leading up into the top of the house. "This is exciting! We've known eachother for years, and you've never even been past this part of the house. I want to show you my room!"
Naota followed Eri as she bounced her way into the hallway and up the stairs. At the peak of the stairs was another hallway, running the opposite horizon of the one below. She pulled Naota left down the hall to a door with a blue and yellow etch-a-sketch reading "Eri-chan's room" on it. Naota rolled his eyes. Normal girls were so cheesy.
Eri opened the door to reveal a comfortable little room. There was a large bed tucked to one corner, covered in pillows and blue blankets, and adorned with just a couple of teddy-bears. The room was painted blue, and the windowsill was a white color, and the blinds were drawn so that light couldn't filter in all the way. The room was very cozy.
Eri ushered Naota in, and then she stepped around him, taking a seat on her bed. She smiled at him, and patted next to her for him to sit down. Naota abliged, slinking over to her blue bed, taking a seat next to her.
"So, like my room, Naota-kun?"
"Naota-kun?" Naota asked, "That's new."
"Hey, so what, I can't call you Naota-kun? I bet that girl on the Vespa does."
"No, you can," said Naota, simply, "I just didn't think you would."
"Oh," Eri thought for a second, and then decided to change the subject, "So,if she's back, is that why that thing is on your head?"
"It might have something to do with her, but it's not her fault this time." Naota said, "See, she didn't want this one there."
"What is with it then?"
"We don't know yet."
"Do you think another one of those things will come around, like last time?" Eri asked, frowning.
"I dunno... I'd bet that it will though." Naota sighed, falling backwards on Eri's bed. "This is a comfortable bed."
"So, what, you back in the robot fighting biz? Protecting the town?" Eri asked, leaning back on her elbow, and smiling at Naota.
"It wasn't me, remember? It was Canti all along, I was just ammo." Naota said, darkly, "Being used, just like every other time."
"Well, what about when the sattalite was falling, or when that big red bird appeared?" Eri said, placing her hand on Naota's like she always had when she was trying to get something important across to him, "It was you all of those times."
"It was all no big deal."
"It thought it was kinda cool, actually." Eri said, and she immediately blushed. "I mean... you know, you saved the whole town."
"I never would have been able to without Haruko."
"The Vespa Woman?" Eri asked, raising an eyebrow, "Well, you know, with or without her, Naota. You were amazing."
"Eri?" Naota looked up at her from where he lay on her blue bed. The girl was smiling at him, and staring into his eyes. She looked a little like she was sad, about to cry or something. Then, she started to lean towards him. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, come on Naota," Eri said, letting her whole body rest up against his. Her face was nearing his, and Naota was both nervous and confused by the whole thing. "We've been best friends for three years, this was bound to come up."
"What do you mean?" Best friends? Was that what they were? Naota's head spun a litte, and he was beginning to tremble. How could he have been so naieve? Of course they were friends, he was over there with her so often... but...
"I'll show you." With what seemed like a reluctant motion, Eri pressed quivering lips to her friend's mouth. Noata was too shocked to move or kiss or fooly cooly or anything. He just lay still there, with Ninamori Eri, the mayor's daughter, kissing him. After a moment, Eri pulled back, her eyes glazed with fear, and she gave Naota a pleading look.
She looked about to cry, and Naota knew he had to do something. "Eri, don't take it the wrong way. I was just surprised." Naota said, trying to appease his friend.
"Then what's wrong?"
"It's just sudden, that's all." Naota said, his heart racing. He was always a bit interested in Eri, but she couldn't have picked a worse time. With Haruko around, things like romance weren't nearly achievable.
"Just sudden, eh? Does that mean... you're not mad?" Eri asked, narrowing her eyes slyly at Naota. Her little pointed nose was tounching his, and Naota knew what she wanted. Eri was accustomed to getting what she wanted, too.
"No, I'm not mad." Agreed Nao. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't just push Eri off of him, and part of him even wanted to kiss her too, but something held him back. Things were already so complex.
"Then let's try it again." Eri persisted pushing her lips against Naota's once more. He returned the kiss, feeling a little electric under Eri's lips. This time, she didn't stop. Naota watched, still a bit amazed, as Eri closed her eyes and let her mouth keep pressing at his, kissing deeply, and passonately.
Naota had done things like this before, with a girl he knew a long time ago down by the river. Mamimi had always kissed him like that, but Mamimi's kisses lacked something that Eri's had. Eri made Naota feel like kissing back, and with hunger to match her own.
Soon, the two were lost to eachother's mouths. Eri threw a leg over Naota, straddling him much like Haruko always liked to do. Something was growing in Naota, and he was falling into a trap of his own creation. With nothing on his mind but the teenage girl above him, Naota rolled over, placing Eri below his body.
He learned one thing from Haruko, some risks, some swings had to be taken, whether they were hits or misses. Naota pushed the fingers on his right hand up through violet hair, feeling the silky softness of Eri's head to be quite relaxing. She moaned softly into his mouth, and he felt a shiver.
Then, something Naota hadn't expected happened, to put it ironically. He felt something snake along his leg, and before he had time to relax, he realized where Eri's hand had landed. A shock ran from Naota's feet to his spine and straight to his head.
"Owowow!"
"Oh my gosh, did I hurt you?" Naota leapt off of Eri, landing beside her on the bed. He clutched the band-aid on his forehead and shivered. "Oh, it's that?"
"Yeah, I don't know what happened. It hurt right when you..."
Eri blushed, knowing exactly what Naota was talking about. She was only doing what she had wanted to do. She was 17 years old, and home alone with a young boy who she had loved since the 6th grade, it was only natural.
Naota tried to lift his head, but it was unexpectedly heavy. Adjusting to the weight, Naota finally managed to sit up straight, and he sat still for a moment, getting his bearings. The pain faded, but Naota could feel the weight in his skull.
"Are you okay?" Eri asked, looking worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine now," said Naota.
"Oh..." There were moments of silence, and then Eri blushed once more. Naota gave her a look, and she responded by saying, "We can go on then, right?"
Without anymore words, Eri was immediately ontop of Naota once more.
-----
I guess it was just a little bit weird. Ninamori and I fooled around on her bed for a couple of hours, and then she told me I had to go so that I wasn't around when her father got back. I got up to leave, and she kissed me on the lips, very softly. I didn't know what I was doing, so I just kissed back.
It was so different, doing that kind of thing with Eri. I had felt something when her lips were against mine that I never felt before. It was strange, and pure. Like something about the way she kissed showed a new emotion I never got from Haruko or Mamimi.
I think it was that Eri was kissing Naota, not Takkun. That, and she was kissing Naota for a better reason. The nearer I got to home, the havier my head weighed. I was hoping I'd see Haruko near the bridge, but she was nowhere in sight. I figured that it'd be faster to get home on the Vespa. It was, afterall, faster to get anywhere on the Vespa.
The rain was pouring down, and it only reminded me that gravity had a hold of me. I was helpless under my own weight, sluggish, and barely moving. Something inside me was holding me back, and I couldn't see well enough, or muster enough strength to move forward strongly.
I knew my head could not be empty anymore, because if it were it wouldn't have felt like a lead weight. The more the people around me contributed to the problems I faced, the more weight I carried on my shoulders. Part of me wanted the horn to sprout right then and there.
When I finally got home, it was time for dinner. I was soaked. My head felt like it was heavier than the whole Earth.
-----
"Ah, Naota-kun, just in time! We're having curry, in honor of Haruko-san returning to us," said Kamon, cheerfully. Haruko, Kamon and Naota's grandfather were all seated at the table, chomping painfully away at the spicy rice-like substance in their bowls.
Naota smiled, "I hate that stuff." He said as he took a seat. His bowl was already full and waiting.
"Well, you're a big boy, so I didn't get you the mild kind." Haruko said, winking at Naota. He rolled his eyes, grabbing his spoon and shoveling into the spicy curry. He put the spoon to his nose, and sniffed. A spicy thrill ran up Naota's sinuses, and for a second his head became even harder than it was to hold up, even with that lead weight in there.
"Naw, I don't need that stuff," said Naota, taking a bite, "Doesn't mean I have to like this stuff." Naota felt his eyes water as he stomached the burning curry. Spicy things weren't any fun for him, but it wasn't so bad. If he ate it without complaining, Haruko wouldn't insist on it every night.
"Yeah, I got a new recepy for Curry Bread, too, Takkun!" Haruko announced, leanign over the table. Her bowl was already empty, "And it's completely fooly cooly."
"Fooly... cooly...?" Kamon asked, raising one eyebrow. Naota set his spoon down, knowing that the conversation could get physical in the most uncomfortable of ways any second. It always did. "Aha! So I see, that must be some kind of code. You two aren't sneaking something around, are you? Hmmm?"
"Oh, of COURSE not, Mon-chan." Haruko mused, batting her eyelids.
"Ah, you cannot hide these things from me!" Kamon announced, trowing his hand to he air.
"Will you shut up!?" Yelled Grandpa, "It's bad enough I have to eat leftovers instead of Haruko's curry, and you're here griping about this and that. You always were a whiner."
"Noodles, Grandpa?" Naota asked, looking up from his curry. His face was boiling just from the couple of bites he had taken.
"Maybe Grandpa's as much of a lightweight as you are, huh Takkun?" Haruko said, smartly, chewing on a bite of curry.
"No, it's a gastro-intestinal thing," explained Grandpa, chewing a mouthfull of noodle, "If eat that spicy stuff, I'll be in the bathroom all night."
"Sorry I asked..." Noata shrugged, and returned to his curry.
"Rrrr..." meanwhile, Kamon was fuming red. He clenched his fist, slammed it on the table, and shouted, "Don't try to change the subject! You two still haven't explained yourselves."
"What are you talking about?" Naota asked, setting his spoon down again, and giving Kamon a strange look.
"Don't give me that!" Yelled Kamon, "You know very well what I'm talking about!"
"Oh, Takkun, he knows!" Cried Haruko, throwing her arms around Naota. He rolled his eyes.
"Do you plan these things?" He asked them.
"Ah, so it's a plan!" Kamon yelled.
"I can't win this, can I?" Naota chuckled, letting his eyes settle on Haruko who was busy hiding her face in his chest.
"What?! What do I know?! Are you two doing perverted things behind my back again!"
"She does just as many perverted things in front of your back, dad." Naota laughed, stuffing more curry into his mouth. Kamon picked up a magazine off the table, and slapped Naota's head with it, causing him to choke on his curry.
"These lies will not do, Naota!" yelled Kamon, "Come clean now! You can't hide these things from me."
Naota coughed a couple of times until the curry dislodged itself from the odd angle it kept in his throat. He looked angrilly up at Kamon, and said, "Hey, look, she's the one who's being all perverted all the time, not me."
"Naota, we cannot hide our love from Mon-chan any longer!" Haruko was over- acting again, throwing more drama than needed by a whole acting school into one line. "Let's run away together, and elope!"
"What!!" Kamon yelled, gritting his teeth together. "So, running away with an older woman, eh Naota-kun?"
"Look, the only place I'm going is my room." Naota said, standing up. "Knowing you guys, I'd say Haruko will follow me in a half an hour, when you shut up about fooly cooly."
"So, Naota-kun, running away I see?" Kamon said, smiling widely, "You'll never get away with this! I know your tricks!"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Takkun, take me away from here!"
"Hey, let go!" Haruko had latched herself to Naota's legs, keeping him from moving at all.
"See you two?" Kamon laughed triumfantly, "Fooly Coolying all over the place like some kind of... something that... fooly coolys..."
The night went on in that manner. Eventually, Kamon got tired of arguing about fooly cooly, or whatever it was, and he decided to walk off to watch Trigun for awhile.
Naota climbed the stairs to his room, Haruko only steps behind him. He heard her yawn loudly.
"I noticed you're carrying your head a little weird, Naota-kun. Did something happen today?" Haruko asked. He could hear that little edge of sympathy in her voice again, and it made his neck kind of tickly.
"Well, it got heavier, that's for sure." Naota didn't know why, but he felt like he couldn't tell Haruko about Eri. It seemed like it'd upset her, why was beyond him. It wasn't like Haruko really cared about anything but herself.
"Why? Did it just happen all the sudden?"
"It happened well I was at Eri's." Naota said, shrugging. He sat down on his bed, leaning his back against the wall. "It's been tiring to carry this thing around all day. I'm wiped out."
"So, you were just sitting around and it got heavier."
"Well," Naota paused for a moment, "Yeah, yeah that's it."
"Weird."
"It's even weirder to hear you say that word so sincerely." They both shared a quick laugh.
"Come stand up next to me, Naota." Haruko commanded, waving the boy to get up.
"Haruko, I'm too tired to stand."
"Come on, Naota, real quick?" Haruko pleaded. Naota sighed, and then stood up. He walked across the room, and stood before Haruko.
"Wow, you've really grown, Takkun." Haruko said, smiling and walking around the boy. He was a little taller than her now.
"You haven't changed."
"I know, why should I?" Haruko chuckled, "I like me how I am."
"Me too."
"You don't act like it sometimes." Haruko said. Naota felt his heart sink, and apparently Haruko knew it. "Takkun, don't worry, I won't leave you again."
Haruko stepped close to Naota, putting her arms around him, "Afterall, you've become such a strong boy."
"Haruko..." Naota said, softly. He felt something beginning to tingle in his spine, but he payed it no mind. The alien girl before him was acting strangely intoxicating.
"Hey, now you've grown up so much, maybe you deserve this," said Haruko, smiling slyly. Then, she kissed him. It took Naota off guard, but it wasn't so weird to be kissed by Haruko. Then, suddenly, something shocked him. It felt like he wa beign kissed by Eri again.
Naota kissed back, feeling something weird in his whole body. Was Haruko kissing him because she wanted to? Or was it another one of her games? For the first time, Haruko's CPR felt real. Naota was trembling again, and another electric surge ran from his feet to his head.
"Owww!" Yelled Naota, braking the kiss, and clapping his hands to his head.
"Hey, you okay? That was a really good kiss, Takkun... been practicing?" Haruko joked, looking at Naota sympathetically. The pain was no real danger, not until anything sprouted anyway, so it was best to just let it happen.
Then, Naota raised his head up to look at Haruko again, but something was wrong. He didn't stop, and his whole head and body went tumbling backwards, straight into his window. Naota flopped over the edge, and through the balcony, out onto the street below, leaving a gaping hole where he hit.
"Naota!" Yelled Haruko, rushing to the hole he had made and looking down at the fallen Naota.
Naota pushed himself up from the ground below, and his head was throbbing. It was so heavy, he thought his neck would snap. He looked up at Haruko, and tried to smile, but then the band-aid fell off.
It was more sudden than anything, and twice as bizarre as Mabase city had ever seen as the horn shot outward. It was black allright, just like a big weight, but now it said '100' instead of '10'. Naota was flung away by whatever it was that had emerged from his skull.
The new robot stood up, thudding the ground with each motion of its massive feet. Its head was the black 100-pound weight, and its body was shaped like an anvil. A large dumbell ran through the 'shoulder' parts of the anivil, and green robotic arms laced in purple gel were attached to them. The robot's Anivil torso sat atop a pair of green robotic hips and legs. Its right fist was a hand, but it's left seemed to be a gargantuan hammer. The bots head spun, until rather than the number '100' facing Naota, a set of goggle-like red lenses were glowing at him like menacing eyes.
It was still torrenting down rain outside, and each dropplet was bouncing off the metal of the robot's arms and legs, making noises like a thousand pins being dropped all at once.
Canti, their robot housekeeper, who happened to be beating out the futons on the balcony, had leapt off of the house and was standing on the ground near the robot. Canti punched at the larger bot, but his hand stopped uselessly.
Much like a fly, the larger robot batter Canti to the side, sending him crashing through one of the walls of Naota's house.
"Naota!" Naota turned his head until he could see Haruko, who tossed the Gibson EB0 to him. He cought it. The robot was hulking forward slowly, and before it had nearly reached him, Haruko was by his side with the EA1433 Explorer. "That things weird, I've never seen a robot like it. It's not Medical Mechanica."
"Who could it be then?"
"I don't know! Now's not the time, let's take it out. It's slow, so it might be easy." Haruko urged, rushing forward. She was nearly ready to hit the beast, when a flash of purple light shot out around it. Naota could see Haruko was surrounded, along with the robot, in a gigantic sphere of purple, and Haruko's guitar suddenly slammed to the ground, cracking the pavement.
"Haruko, what's wrong?" Naota called. He watched as Haruko pulled at her guitar a couple of times, unable to lift it.
"Everything just got really heavy!" Haruko yelled back, giving up trying to lift her guitar. With all her alien might, Haruko began to 'dash' as fast as it was possible through the purple mist of energy.
"What do we do?"
"Come help!" Haruko yelled. Naota rushed forward, stopping at the edge of the purple haze. The robot was about 50 feet inside the globe of purple. Naota gulped, and stepped in.
His Gibson EB0 immediately slammed to the ground, weighing more than 10 times what it normally did, easily. He tugged to no avail. The robot was closing in on him, and its hammer was aimed directly over him. It had apparently paid no heed to the nearly immobile Haruko. Each little drop of rain felt like a separate little hammer pounding on Naota, and it didn't help. As the hammer came down, Naota was able to muster just enough strength to step out of the way. Allthough he felt the shock of the hammer just inches from his guitar, it wasn't even enough to rip his feet from the ground and knock him over.
"You can do it Naota! You have to lift the guitar!"
Naota struggled, finally raising the guitar up, just in time to defend himself from the next blow from the machine. He tumbled with all the weight. He didn't even notice his forehead glowing a bright red.
Naota hefted the guitar to swing again, but it slammed back down to the ground.
"It's too heavy!" Naota yelled back.
"You have to! It's going to kill you if you don't!" Haruko was screaming hysterically, another first time for an emotion from the alien, as far as Naota knew.
"Come help!" Naota heard Haruko thudding over to him. She slipped under the robots legs as smoothly as she could, and stuggled over to Naota. She stood behind him, like they were practicing batting, and helped him lift the guitar up. They stood together, ready to swing, and it took all they had to hold the bat. The robot was nearing them slowly but surely, and there was no option but to go for it.
"Ready?" Haruko asked, her lips on Naota's ear.
"Yeah..." Naota took a deep breath, and got ready to swing. "Tasuku," he whispered, and the light on his head grew brighter. With power no human could muster, Naota and Haruko moved together, lifting the guitar high, and slamming it back to the ground in front of the monster in one clean swing.
The overly-sturdy guitar strummed its warcry, and the street mimicked a wave out at sea. The rolling carpet of asphalt reached the robots feet, and sent it flying into the air. Haruko and Naota stumbled and gasped for breath as they returned to their normal weights.
"Now go get it!" Haruko yelled.
"How? It's too high!" complained Naota, still gasping.
"You can make it!" Haruko said, grabbing the back of his shirt, and tossing him into the air with impressive strength. His flight easily overcame the robot, sending him high above the creature who was still enveloped in its purple gravity shield, and he wonder why it had impeded Haruko so much with arms like that.
Naota realized he was above the robot, and his guitar was still with him. It was rainign hard, especially up so high, and Naota couldn't decipher the best course of action. Doing the only thing he could think to do, Naota hurled the guitar southward, watching it hit the putple shield and accelerate two-fold immediately. The speeding bass slammed down on the lead skull of the robot below, and the bot cracked down the center.
The weight fell in half, coming off the 'neck' of the bot, and immediately falling victim to the effects of gravity. The heavy metal began to plummit Earthword, and the rest of the robot was following fast. Naota wondered if he'd land okay himself.
Before he had a chance to hit the ground though, he felt hands grabbing his shoulders. He turned his head to see Canti hovering next to him.
Back on the ground below, Haruko was scrambling for the EA1433 Explorer she had discarded from the wieght it had gained moments earlier. She was just able to scramble across the shattered asphalt in time to recover her instrument and get out of the way before the robot returned to the ground, sending shockwaves through the surface of the little city. Naota watched the street below as car windows shattered from the shock.
"Canti, take me down, it's safe now!" Naota urged, but the robot remained in the air, it's television like face virtually expressionless. It seemed to be gazing downward, and Noata turned his gaze back to Haruko.
The alien girl had dashed back to the destroyed robot, where she proceeded to lodge her guitar under a loose bit between the bot and the ground. Naota hadn't gotten much chance to consider what Haruko was up to before she pushed down on the neck of her guitar, the leverage acting like a catapult, sending the robot skyward.
The hunk of metal rushed past Naota and Canti, missing them by mere inches, and it sped off into the sky above, showing up as little more than a twinkle in the distance to Naota's eyes.
Canti then proceeded to let himself descend towards the Earth below, at a much slower velocity than the other robot had. He landed smoothly, setting Naota down. It was only now, after the adrenalin was gone, that Naota realized how wobbly his legs felt with all the extra weight gone. He felt as though he weighed even less than he had before the horn had appeared.
"Haruko, what just happened?" Naota asked her, as if he didn't know. She looked at him blankly. Her clothes were sopping from the vicious rain falling around them. His were too.
"It went up."
"Well, what about when it comes down?" Naota urged, "That's what I mean, what if it does more damage?"
"If it does come down," said Haruko, "It'll be a different down. That thing's not on this planet in any form of the expression anymore. There are places where gravity doesn't work, you know?"
"Ha..." Naota smiled, and then he laughed loudly. He couldn't help himself.
"What's so funny?"
"It's just the things you do, Haruko."
"Well, a kid like you shouldn't have that kind of weight on his shoulders, so I sent it all packing." Haruko said, smiling, "Can't expect you to carry around that much, just cause you're so grown up."
"Don't want weight on my shoulders, huh?" Naota asked, "Then tell me the truth, Haruko. Why are you back here?"
"So you want to know the truth?" Haruko said, smiling, "Well, then first I'm going to have to have another one of those great kisses, Takkun."
"Oh brother," said Naota, glumly, "So, another kiss, like before, and you swear you'll tell?"
"I swear it on my heart, my beloved!" Haruko mused, taking Naota in her arms once more.
"You're way too dramatic, you know?"
"Shut up and make with the mouth-to-mouth, Takkun," huffed Haruko. They kissed again, and it didn't feel quite the same as it had a while ago. Something was there that hadn't been there before, and Naota could just barely tell what it was - added gravity.
The rain stopped before they were through.
------
So, the bandaid was gone again, and Haruko and I were once again living the most normal life we could. I dind't know what to do about Eri, but I was sure I'd figure it out eventually. At the time, that didn't matter. I knew something would come up eventually, and I was going to have to decide what it was I really felt.
These kinds of feelings are tough, and I don't think that's a question of maturity. It's hard to tell sometimes who's using who, and I guess, in a way, Haruko, Eri, and I were all using eachother. I suppose being used doesn't necessarily mean without feeling.
Something about those two girls made me understand that they weren't there for no reason. They weren't with me just to break my heart, or take advantage of me, or anything like that... even if that was part of it.
The problem was trying to decide why I was there.
After we kissed, Haruko made good on her promise. It sounded like another lie, and I couldn't be sure yet, but my instincts told me that Haruko's voice spoke sincerity. She told me a lot of things I didn't get yet, but she said I would soon. What was most important, and easiest to understand was that Haruko was here for a different reason than last time... the entire planet was in danger, and it had something to do with Tasuku. My brother.
So, I guess maybe not ALL the weight had been lifted.
I asked Haruko why she decided to be so nice to me all the sudden, and she just smiled and said, "It's actually true Takkun... you can kiss."
-End-
"Well, you can't put too much acclaim on the Lita Ford version, but it was especially nice when Reel Big Fish did it. You see, just cause someone can't rock doesn't mean they can't write. She may have been a junkie, but that was genuis. I think the RBF version was only better cause of the quicker pace, but the biggest problem was that it ended too soon. Some things just can't be perfect."
"Next time on FLCL, Episode 3: 100 Beats/Second! So keep in time!"