I'd probably start this off by blaming Paul Corrigan for this one, but
it's my own fault for watching too much Gainax, I think.  Anyway...

=======================
STRANGER
a Gainax crossover by Ukyou Kuonji
=======================

"So how long has it been...?"

There was a long silence as they stood out on the bridge, looking out
over Kawasaki.  An involuntary shiver crossed his back as his eyes
panned past the tall smokestacks of the refinery, piercing the reddening
sky like a demented pipe organ.  She turned to face him, and repeated
her question.

"How long has it been that she's been gone, Arima-kun?"

He blinked several times as he snapped out of his reverie.  "Sorry,
Miyazawa," he murmured apologetically as he turned to her, "since who's
been gone?"

Her face went sour.  "Arima-kun... she's an old friend of yours and
you're not worried about her?"

The blank look he gave her only served to annoy her further, until he
spoke: "Sorry, Miyazawa... was thinking about you and me, and all that."

Her face softened, and she chucked him lightly on the arm.  "Aren't you
the old smoothie.  But c'mon, Arima... aren't you concerned about
Tsubasa?  I mean, she's been gone, like, what?  Nearly a month?"

"Thirty-three days, Miyazawa."

"Ah-HAH!  You *have* been concerned about her."  She didn't even bother
to conceal the triumph on her face.

"No, not concerned as such..."  He turned back to stare out over the
city.  Idly swinging his foot, he kicked a small pebble off the bridge,
and it landed in the canal with nearly inaudible 'plip.'  "I guess I do
miss her a bit, though... kinda wonder what she and Kazuma are doing."

Her face reflected the sunset as she considered what those two *might*
be doing.  Suddenly, she found herself wishing *she* could be doing that
right now.

If he noticed any of this, it didn't show as he continued. "I don't
think there's any reason to really be *concerned*, Miyazawa.  Tsubasa's
a big girl..." He glanced at her as she raised an eyebrow at him.  "You
*know* what I mean.  She can take care of herself.  And she's got
Kazuma, too."

<Yes, she *does*,> she though to herself, face still slightly flushed.
She felt slightly giddy as a distant-sounding buzzing noise echoed
inside her head.  "But... on the road with a rock band?  D'you really
think that's the life for her?"

"If that's what she wants to do, then, yes."  He nodded, as the faraway
drone of a motorcycle invaded his consciousness.  "And if she discovers
she doesn't like it, she'll come back.  I doubt it, though."

"Doubt what?"  Her eyes were wide, questioning.  "That she'll come
back?"

He almost chucked, but settled for a wide smile.  "Oh, no.  She'll come
back, you can be sure of that.  She may not stay, but she'll be back."
He was beginning to have to raise his voice, as the sound of an
approaching motor rose in their ears.  "I just don't think she'll give
up being with the band.  As long as you're with your true love, what
difference does it make where you are and what you're doing?"

He was talking about another couple, but she knew he meant themselves,
too.  She beamed at him, and then...

With the reverberating jolt of an electric guitar chord - or was it the
sound of a chainsaw being fired up? - she saw it.  Bearing down on them
at almost inhuman speed.  Her eyes expanded to nearly half the size of
her head in alarm.

It was almost enough to alert him to the danger, and get him out of
harm's way.

Almost.  As it was, it was at least enough to get him to turn around...

...just in time to get smacked by a nearly out-of-control moped that had
been speeding directly toward them.  He, she, the driver, and the moped
went rolling end-over-end-over-each-other's-end along the bridge, until
the driver pulled something out from nowhere:

An electric guitar.  She (for he could clearly see from the point-blank
vantage he had at this moment) swung it around a few times, over and
under her head (depending on where they were as they tumbled along),
before slamming the instrument, box down, into the road.

The jagged ends of the guitar sank into the concrete as though it were
soft clay, and the driver gripped the neck of the guitar with both
hands.  He, in turn, grabbed onto her waist, while she clutched his arm
and shoulder.  Still caught up in the momentum of the collision, the
three of them looked like a human flag attached to the guitar neck.

The driver looked down (sideways? Well, down for her, anyway) at the the
lovers clinging to her, and broke into a crooked smile as she listed to
the moped continue to bounce along.  "Hey, guys... d'ja miss me?"

Even without gravity, the sound of her voice was enough to send him and
her crashing to the ground.

"TSUBASA?!"

The driver just grinned from her new position, seated beside her guitar,
while the refinery smokestack belched steam to the opening chords of
"Toccata and Fugue in D Minor."

=======================

Aaaand I'm gonna call a halt to this right now, unless someone else has
any ideas where to go from here.  Especially seeing as I've just watched
all of FuriKuri, and can hardly make heads or tails of it.  It's like
downing half a dozen 'Mihoshi's (Goldschlager and Bailey's: it's blond,
it's tan, it'll leave ya stupid) in too-rapid succession.

All's I can make outta this thing is that yes, that's Tsubasa Shibahime
as the alien-on-a-Vespa Haruko.  Why they think that that nasal monotone
is so right for truly wild women, I have *no* idea.  But it got the idea
in my head, and thankyewSOmuch Paul, here it is for the rest of y'all to
*ahem* enjoy.

So knock yerselves out.  With a moped.

Itsu mo,
Ucchan  ^_^

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