Nui and Anon : A Tale of Love, Jyah Jyaaahns, and Curry

You didn't quite understand what was happening, at first. The last thing you remembered before the massive explosion was the desire to go for a walk, and slight confusion as you realized the streets were empty.

Perhaps it was only by sheer coincidence that you lived so close to REVOCS HQ. Perhaps it was just a stroke of luck that you weren't wearing any COVERS when the Primordial Life Fiber called out to them all.

Whatever the case, fortune placed you at the base of the massive structure not long before it ruptured, spewing flame and concrete into the air.

When you came to, you weren't alone. Not entirely. Not far from where you lay, an astonishingly beautiful girl in a frilly pink dress was unconscious on the ground. Being the noble individual that you are, your first priority was no longer about just getting to safety.

You had to carry her to safety, as well.

She was so light. Just a tad bit shorter than you, but unbelievably light for her size. Carrying her didn't pose any trouble whatsoever; avoiding the flaming wreckage and weakened structures, however, was a different story. Through sheer force of will and a sharp mind, you skillfully navigated the ruins and came back to your humble abode, somehow still in one piece amid the ruination.

As two sisters you'd never seen or heard of celebrated their ultimate victory and the liberation of mankind, you humbly set about the task of laying the poor girl in your arms to rest on your bed and preparing your place for when she awoke.

After all, first impressions say a lot about a person. And your home wasn't exactly, shall we say, "clean."

After rearranging a bit, you decided it would probably be best to cook up some food. Partly for yourself, and partly for her. You were pretty hungry, and there was a chance that she might like some food, too.

You had no idea what kind of being she truly was, so you prepared the meal in blissful ignorance. It wasn't even halfway done before you felt chilled steel pressed to your neck.

This could be bad, you thought.

This is it, you thought. You couldn't quite see all of the object she had placed against your neck, but you knew it was sharp. You could feel it. Oh well. At least the last thing you did before dying was potentially save her life and then proceed to cook her food.

Definitely not the worst way to leave the world, though you'd appreciate it if she at least removed the knife from your back when she was done with it. It's just common courtesy.

A few moments go by and you're still breathing, so there's that. At the very least, it doesn't seem like she's in any hurry to cut your throat and leave you for dead. Maybe she finally realized that you're not a threat?

What is that, she asks. It smells good, she says.

You explain to her that it's curry, and with a secret recipe, at that. Your mother told you how to make it. You offer to give her a bowl, and calmly explain that the process would be much easier without a giant purple...thing...pressed against your neck.

She doesn't say anything, but after a moment, she removes her weapon and you suck in the air like crazy. Nothing like nearly losing the ability to breathe to make you appreciate some oxygen.

Without turning, you return to your cooking and pour two bowls. When you finally do turn around, you're shocked to see that the girl is already sitting at the table, patiently awaiting her meal with a smile.

Pretty weird, considering she almost killed you for absolutely no reason whatsoever, but it's not like you can complain. She's easily the prettiest girl you've ever encountered, and she hasn't run out on you so far. Once she tastes the curry, you know it'll be your victory.

Sitting down across from her, you immediately dig in. It's one of your favorite meals, after all, and not even almost being killed is enough to abate your desire to finish the whole thing. And there's plenty of it left.

You stop when you finally hear that fated "mmmm!" that you were waiting for. Looking up from your bowl, you can see that she has the most heavenly expression on her face. It lasts for just a moment, and then she digs in with twice as much enthusiasm as you did. Chuckling to yourself, you hold the bowl to your lips and finish the rest, sighing and holding back the burp.

There's a lady at the table, after all.

Then she lets out a huge burp without any shame, and suddenly you feel like an idiot.

You ask her if it was good, and she just responds with a cheery "hm!" A little off-topic, but you can't hold back your curiosity any longer. You ask her where she stashed that weapon of hers, as you can't see it. Judging from what you did see of it, the object itself was pretty big and would have been difficult to hide.

Imagine your surprise when she shamelessly reached for her breasts and somehow withdraws a giant purple scissor from her dress, spearing it into your floor while still wearing that smile.

Understandably, your initial reaction consists of shaking, sweating, and coming to terms with how ridiculously impossible that feat was. You calm down after a moment, and finally get around to asking who she is and what she does for a living.

"Harime Nui! I don't really have a place to stay anymore, since I quit my job right before everything exploded. I'm going to stay here from now on!"

It takes you a while to really comprehend what she means by that. Taken in completely by her adorable demeanor, you just tell her that's fine and that she can sleep on the couch.

Then you blink, and suddenly she's in your room with the door locked. "Jyah Jyaaaaahn," you hear her say in a melodious voice.

Looks like YOU get the couch.

Life goes on.

It doesn't take too long for you to get used to living with Nui, and the fact that you don't really have a choice makes it easier on you. After the first week, you tried telling her it was time to go. Yes, you would be happy to spend time with her again, yes, you would make her curry every time she came to visit.

You actually closed the door on her, you saw it with your own eyes. Then you turned around, and those very eyes saw Nui standing right in front of you. Back in the apartment. Unbelievable.

It got easier on you after the next couple of weeks, and gradually, you found yourself enjoying her company. Her defiance of the laws of physics slowly turned into a source of humor and enjoyment for you, and without warning, certain feelings began working their way into your heart.

You were pretty pissed off initially when you went back into your room, the morning after she resolved to stay at your place. Somehow she had found the time to completely de-MAN your room, filling it with flowers and cute little dresses. She even painted the walls pink and changed out your regular bedsheets for frilly pink ones!

It took a while to come to terms with that, to come to terms with all of it. But you did, and now, you found yourself actually developing feelings for her.

But did she feel the same way? Sure, she loved your cooking. Sure, she'd called you cute on more than one occasion (daily, in fact). But that was hardly any indication of "feelings" on her part.

At last, on one fateful day, you made your decision. You were going to ask her. Walking into what was formerly your room, you find her cheerfully creating yet another "kamui" while lying on the bed. Her feet were happily swinging back and forth as she snipped, and when she opened her eye to meet yours, you nearly lost all of your bravado right there.

She looked positively elated, overjoyed to see you.

Nui, what am I to you?

What are we?

Where is this going?

You're not entirely sure where the confidence to ask these questions came from, and so suddenly, too. But you're glad. It's better to just get this out of the way, especially if it doesn't turn out quite well.

You hardly have any time to steel yourself, any time to prepare. She's off the bed and away from her work in an instant, tackling you to the ground and still wearing that lovely smile of hers.

"We're husband and wife, anon!"

What.

No, seriously. What.

"When a girl changes her underwear, she forgets her past! But since I've lived here, I haven't worn any underwear at all! I don't want to forget you, or your curry, or your room. I won't forget anything, and I'll live here forever! So we're married now, right?"

That is definitely not how that works, not at all. Not even remotely.

But damn it, you can't say anything to that. You won't. Looking at her face, at her smile, at that twinkle in her eye, you know she's not lying. She truly believes that the two of you might as well already be married.

And maybe she's got a point. You certainly love her to pieces, so everything works out. Of course, you'd have preferred if your "marriage" had been handled a little more...officially. Still, why complain?

You resolve to buy her a ring some other day. For now, you'll give her a kiss. It'd have to be enough.

Judging by the way she wraps her arms around your neck and dives deeper into the kiss, it was definitely more than enough.

Fin?