Naota flicked on the lights as he entered the small bakery. It was six AM and he had a lot to do before opening the place. After placing the till in the aging cash register, he pulled a handcart full of canned drinks from the back room and wheeled it through the front door. Then, he promptly opened the adjacent vending machine and began stocking it. The person from the beverage company who normally did this task had recently quit, so Naota was stuck doing this job until they hired a replacement.
       As he stocked the machine, his mind went numb. Things hadn't always been this way. There actually was a time-- not too long ago-- when he thought he could get out of Mabase. Unfortunately, with his failing his college entrance exams, that time would be delayed once more. Here he was, an nineteen year old ronin, relegated to days working in his family's bakery and nights studying for next year's exams. As for his friends, they had all managed to leave. Ninamori had made it into Tokyo University, Gaku went to some college in Kyoto, and Masashi's family had moved to Nagisa while they were all still in high school. And of course, his brother Tasuku was a baseball player in the United States, and Mamimi-- last he'd heard-- was working for a magazine in Tokyo's Shinjuku district. Even the Medical Mechanica building was gone… it had mysteriously vanished one night some five years ago.
       They had all left, except for him. Not to say that he had never been given an opportunity. Haruko had offered him a way out seven years ago, but before he could answer, she changed her mind, because he was just a kid. What would she say if she were to come back now?
       The curiously soft padding of metallic feet broke his train of thought. He looked up to see the robot Kanchi, dressed in a baker's apron, ready to take orders.
       "You're late," Naota snapped. "Start cooking a batch of rolls."
       Kanchi turned around and shuffled back inside the bakery to carry out Naota's orders. In the meantime Naota finished stocking the vending machine and locked it up. He was about to go back inside when he heard the low, guttural rumble of a motorcycle engine. He stopped in his tracks and looked down the street, where a white headlight came toward him. Naota stood that way, staring, until the motorcycle had come to an abrupt stop in front of the bakery.
       It was a Harley-Davidson, all chrome and red trim; a pretty rare sight in these parts. Its rider was a tall, skinny man wearing a black suit, motorcycle helmet, Oakley sunglasses, and an odd metal collar around his neck. He parked the bike and eased off of its seat, then removed his helmet. In the dim morning light, his short, shaggy hair had a green shimmer to it, like the scales of a fish. He looked like some kind of rock star.
       Naota greeted the stranger with, "Sir, the bakery doesn't open for two more hours."
       "I'm looking for Mr. Nandaba," the man said, apparently ignoring Naota's statement.
       "If you mean my dad, then he's still asleep. You'll have to come back later."
       "What's your dad's name?"
       "Kamon."
       The man rubbed his sharp chin before pulling a small black book out from the folds of his jacket. He flipped it open to a dog-eared page.
       "I'm looking for Naota Nandaba," said the stranger as he stuffed the book back into his jacket. "Would you happen to know where he is?"
       Naota fell silent, and he eyed the man even more suspiciously. "Who are you?"
       "I'm an old friend of Haruko's."
       Naota gasped. It wasn't true, was it? At that moment, he suddenly became very nervous. What if this was one of those creepy Fraternity agents, like that Amarao guy from seven years ago? He studied the stranger's eyebrows. They looked ordinary enough.
       Taking note of Naota's silence, the man motioned for him to come closer, which he did. "Let me show you something," he whispered, pulling his sunglasses down just far enough to reveal his dark green eyes. Naota looked into them. On first glance, there was nothing unusual about them, but that was before a red symbol briefly flickered across the irises, the same symbol Naota had etched onto his brain since the time he saved the town from a falling satellite: Atomsk's emblem.
       Convinced that Naota had seen enough, the man shoved the sunglasses back into place. In the meantime, Naota looked over the man again and noticed that there was something familiar about the collar around his neck. A single steel chain link hung down from the middle. Naota shook his head.
       "You aren't who I think you are, are you?"
       The man's expression didn't change. "Perhaps, if you are thinking I am Atomsk, which I am. May I come inside? I have some important news to share with you."

       Although this guy certainly didn't look like Atomsk, he did exude a certain aura which Naota found difficult to ignore. He led the way inside the bakery, parking the handcart in front of the magazine rack, where five-year-old copies of his father's zine Kamon Mabase still populated the shelves. Kanchi came out of the back room, carrying a tray full of freshly baked curry bread. The robot took one look at the newcomer and flashed Atomsk's emblem across his television screen face. Naota took a seat behind the counter and noted the exchange taking place between the newcomer and Kanchi.
       "Hey, Kanchi! Is this guy really the Pirate King?"
       The man stared at Naota. "Would you mind keeping your voice down?"
       Naota ignored him and continued looking at Kanchi, who was silently analyzing the man. Finally, the robot turned his head to Naota, the emblem still burning bright on his screen. Naota sighed.
       "Okay, Atomsk… I guess you're cool. Now, what did you want to talk about?"
       "I am here to inform you that Haruha, the young woman you know as Haruko, has been captured by Medical Mechanica."
       Naota angrily bolted up from his stool. "What?!"
       "Calm down."
       "What the hell do they want her for?"
       For the first time that morning, Atomsk smiled; however, his smile was grim. He pointed at himself. "They captured her to lure me back into their clutches."
       Naota plopped back down onto the stool and sighed heavily. "But then, why are you telling me about this? She loves you, not me. She doesn't give a shit about me."
       "Do you really believe that?"
       Naota said nothing.
       "At any rate," Atomsk continued, "I owe her one for getting me out of that old Medical Mechanica steam iron that had been stationed in this town. I really don't care for her, but I at least owe her that much."
       Behind the counter, Naota pondered Atomsk's words. "So… then… why are you telling me this? You can just break in and rescue her on your own, right?"
       "No. Just as Haruko needed assistance to rescue me, so do I need assistance to rescue her. Medical Mechanica is a lot stronger than they look."
       "You need my help?"
       "Yours, and your mecha's-- what do you call him? Kanchi?"
       Naota nodded, affirming the correct name. This was all happening so fast… but unlike Haruko, Atomsk was being civil in his request, instead of pushing him into some harebrained plot he knew nothing about. How mature he seemed, compared to her. "Where's she being held?"
       "The Medical Mechanica plant where they have her is on a planet twenty-six light years away from this one."
       "What? So you're asking me to leave Earth?"
       "Yes. If you don't wish to come, or it's not possible for you to leave, then just say so."
       Naota asked, "Uhh, can I have some time to think about this?"
       Atomsk nodded. "I'll be back tomorrow morning to receive your answer. I apologize for the short window of time, but I really can't afford to wait any longer than that."
       Before Naota had a chance to reply, Atomsk walked to the front door and swung it open. With one more nod to Naota, he left the bakery. Naota watched as Atomsk got on his motorcycle and roared off.

       "So, run this by me again, Naota-kun."
       Naota sighed heavily. Humoring his dad was not one of his strong points, but it had to be done, nonetheless. "An old acquaintance of mine came by the bakery this morning. A friend of ours is in trouble and needs my help. So I'm going to have to leave for a while."
       "Ahh, I'm sorry to hear that. Please send your friend my regards.
       Yeah right. "I have to leave tomorrow. I'm sorry it's so short-notice."
       Kamon waved it off. "Don't worry about it."
       "Oh, and, uhh… Kanchi is being asked to come too."
       At that point, both Naota's father and grandfather bolted up in their seats. "Naota," Kamon started, "just who is this friend of yours? Is it anyone we know?"
       "N-no! It's just a friend from school!"
       "Is that so," Shigekuni, Naota's grandfather, replied. "Then why do you have to take Kanchi?"
       "Because. He's, uhh…" Naota was stuck. Kanchi paused in his serving duties and looked over at Naota.
       Kamon scratched his sideburns, a small grin forming on his face. "Nao, this person… wouldn't happen to be our old housekeeper, would it?"
       "Haruko?" Shingekuni asked.
       "No!" Naota exclaimed.
       "Now really, Naota-kun… who else could it be?" Kamon intoned.
       "It's not that old girlfriend of Tasuku's is it?" Shingekuni cut in. "You aren't still keeping in touch with her, are you?"
       "Don't be ridiculous!"
       "How about that Ninamori girl? The esteemed daughter of our former mayor?"
       "I haven't talked to her in months!"
       "That settles it," Kamon decided. "So it is Haruko! You dirty little boy!"
       Naota felt himself grow red in the face. "We were never like that!"
       "Going to get some furi kuri, aren't we? Ahh, how I would love to kuri kuri with Haruko--"
       He stared down at the fried eggs on his plate, where an unpleasant memory immediately made him realize what he was looking at and shoot back up again. "Can you please drop it?!"
       Kanchi turned away from the scene and walked back into the kitchen.
       Seemingly ignoring his youngest son, Kamon continued, while making squishing motions with his hands, along with other, more offensive, gestures. "Furi furi, kuri kuri, guri guri--"
       Naota bolted up from his seat and marched out of the room. Even after all these years, some things had simply refused to change. He stomped all the way to his bedroom and slammed the door shut. He took a number of deep breaths in order to regain his composure. Finally, when he felt he had calmed down enough, Naota walked over to the bed and collapsed face-down on the bottom bunk.
       A baritone E sounded in the quiet evening.
       Naota twitched. Surely he had been hearing things.
       G, an octave higher, broke the silence left after the E.
       He got up and climbed to the top bunk. Along with the piles of clothes and books Naota kept up there was a customized Rickenbacker 4001S left-handed bass guitar in Azureglo blue. Haruko had left it behind after the Pirate King was freed from the Medical Mechanica building's Terminal Core. Naota had held on to the bass ever since then, even though he was neither musically inclined nor left-handed. It was the one fragment of Haruko's that he had left.
       Another note, A, rang in the still air. Naota froze as he watched the corresponding string vibrate. He reached over and clamped his hand on the bass guitar's neck, effectively muting the stray note. He then carefully pulled the bass down from the top bunk. After stuffing it under his quilt to stifle any other randomly vibrating strings, he quietly walked over to his closet, to dig out his duffel bag and begin packing.

       The following morning, Naota woke up at his usual time and got dressed. With the Rickenbacker slung across his shoulders, he picked up the duffel bag and quietly walked through the house, then downstairs to the bakery, where Kanchi was already tying on his apron.
       "Kanchi!" Naota whispered harshly. "No bread today. We're leaving, remember?"
       Warily, Kanchi looked in the direction of the door. The silhouette of Kamon Nandaba broke the regular pattern of the front window.
       "Nao," he said, without moving from the window.
       Naota remained where he was, not saying a word.
       "So you're really going to go after her, eh?"
       "What I do is my own business," Naota replied.
       "And Kanchi… why do you have to take him with you?" Kamon continued. "But perhaps its meant to be so. After all, you two have always seemed to have this kind of bond… like Shinji and EVA-01."
       Kanchi glanced at Naota questioningly. The latter simply muttered, "EVA-zine," with no small amount of derision.
       "I suppose a boy's got to leave home sometime. Go off on an adventure… like your big brother did. But for my little Nao to be chasing her," Kamon turned around and started walking toward Naota and Kanchi, a dangerously wide grin on his face, "you're very brave to think you can just ask me to let you go…"
       As Kamon came closer, Naota saw that he was dressed in a suit… his Lupin III outfit, the Monkey Punch-approved one with the red jacket? No… it wasn't Lupin… It was something sharper, more persistant…
       "Hey Dad… that suit you're wearing…"
       Kamon stopped and gripped his lapels, striking a pose. "Shun Mitaka. Maison Ikkoku. First season." He flashed a smile, which shone unnaturally in the early morning light.
       "Dad, did you brush your teeth with glitter or something?"
       Ignoring Naota's inquiry, Kamon continued, "But, I will not fail where the Coach did… there are no dogs standing in my way!"
       "I'm inclined to disagree."
       Everyone in the bakery looked toward the front door, where this new voice had come from. Standing in the doorframe was Atomsk, wearing the same suit from yesterday, his sunglasses perched atop his head. In his right hand he held an oddly familiar bass guitar-- a red vintage Gibson-- by the neck. A motor and ripcord could just barely be seen on the back of the bass.
       "Naota," Atomsk said, "are you ready to go?"
       While Kamon stood there dumbfounded, Naota adjusted the duffel bag's strap over his shoulder, and nodded to Kanchi. The two of them walked over to Atomsk and joined him in their staring back at Kamon.
       "You're Naota's father, I take it," Atomsk murmured as he held the Gibson perpendicular to himself at eye level, staring across the neck and body like it was a telescope. Peering at Kamon in this fashion, he soon lowered the bass and said, "Now I know why she chose your son over you."
       "Wha?" Kamon blubbered.
       "Your head… it's inadequate."
       "Well, Haruko didn't seem to think so." Kamon grinned and scratched the back of his head. "It's not like Nao's would've been enough at the time--"
       "Dad!" Naota snapped. "You have no idea what he means, do you?"
       "Your son's right, Mr. Nandaba," Atomsk continued. "It was this head which was inadequate," he said, pointing the Gibson's neck at Kamon's cranium. Atomsk then lowered the neck to Kamon's crotch and deadpanned, "Not this one."
       Atomsk turned around and left the store, slinging the bass across his back as he did so. Kanchi followed close behind, but Naota lingered, looking on his humiliated father still standing inside the store.
       "I'll be back soon… okay dad?"
       "Son… your face is red."
       Naota turned to look at his reflection in the display case. So it was red; so he too had been embarrassed by Atomsk's perverse statement. He wondered just what exactly he would be getting into with this so-called Pirate King.
       "I… I'll be okay."
       Kamon simply nodded and said, "Be sure to come back soon. I don't want to have another son who never visits."
       At this point, Naota turned away from his dad. Now that he was finally leaving this backwater town, it was harder than he had ever imagined it to be.
       "I'll come back as soon as I can. I promise."
       Naota turned around and walked away, across the street, where Atomsk and Kanchi were waiting by the parked Harley.

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Completed September 2003 | Copyright 2003, Reeve.