That First Night 9

Everybody had dreams.

Some dreamed about being a professional singer. Some dreamed of meeting their favorite actor/movie star/singer, etc. Some even dreamed of what they're going to eat for their next meal. Yes, it was true that dreams came in all different shapes, forms, and fashions.

So Aka Red couldn't understand what made his so out there. It was simple, wasn't it?

Find the greatest treausre in the universe.

Was that so wrong? Teachers, counselors, etc. always told kids to follow their dreams. So why was he now being treated like a social outcast? Yes, it was a confusing situation.

At first it really bothered him. People with crooked fingers and evil eyes would haunt his nightmares until he was nearly hysterical. It'd cost him pretty much everything to built that ship, and now it was about to cost him his life. He was too depressed.

And then he built Navi for companionship. She was everything he'd even wanted and more. Not only was she his best friend, but her wiring made him realize how to make his ship fly.

So he set off into space in search of his treasure, as well as the Super Sentai's grand powers. With those...Earth would be safe for all time.

So now he sat in his chair, staring at the ship. It felt so big and lonely...why had he built so many rooms? Maybe to make the ship bigger. Maybe because it just felt more like a ship and not a boat.

Or maybe it was because he knew he'd have companions one day.

Companions. Yeah, that sounded good right about now.

All his friends had ditched him in the cold as soon as they dropped out of high school. He was in his early forties now, and he'd been cut out from all social life as soon as his 'ridiculous dream' got out.

It was bothering him now that he was truly leaving home.

Sure, he had Navi. But one day he hoped they'd have even more friends. After all, he was one who had decided life existed outside of Earth. That's why he was so curious about going into space...he wanted to know what it was like.

He'd been an outcast to them for sure. He figured he looked more like an alien than them, anyway...he wouldn't be able to take off his suit that he'd designed or he'd been smashed into tiny bits.

"You need a cool name," of all things to say at a time like this, Navi choose to say that.

"What's wrong with Leslie?" he found nothing wrong with his real name...except for it was kind of corny.

"It's corny," she replied, flying around his head and knocking against his helmet ever so often, "you look like a neon sign. How about Red?"

"Red?" he looked down at his suit, "that sounds weak."

"Then...Alpha?" she suddenly went crazy, like she did when she was Treasure Navigating, and smacked her head on the ceiling, "no! Alpha Red is PERFECT for SURE!"

He chuckled and mused on it. It DID sound good...demo...there was SOMETHING else...

"I can see it!" she bounced off the walls and laughed like a physco, "the great Alpha Red traveling through space and time, searching for the greatest treasure in the universe! It's AMAZING!"

"Wait," slowly, a smirk spread across his face, "I've got it...AKA Red."

"Aka?" she was obviously miffed, but he'd made up his mind. Grinning and smirking, he headed for bed, now feeling much better.

She just got on the back of his chair and sighed, "You know...Aka is one letter short of baka."