DGA Season 1 Aftermath: Nariko

Here's the new Aftermath Chapter, this one starring Nariko! Enjoy!
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“Is... is he dead?”

“No, just go inside Nariko.”

“I... he was hurting the kitten, so I threw a rock at him... I just wanted to chase him off!”

“The ambulance is coming now, sweetie. Just get inside the house.”

“I was just angry! I didn't want to hurt him!”

Nariko was seven years old when she first took a life. The other boy was just a couple years older than her, and was the local bully. It was also that day that Nariko realises how dangerous her temper could be. After that day, she promised herself that she would be as calm and as cheerful as possible at all times. It wasn't easy to keep her rage under control, so many people felt an intense need to push her and prod her, for who she was... and what she did. It was for that reason that she was very thankful to be accepted to an academy on the other side of the country, where nobody knew who she was. Soon, the bullying was gone, and despite the intense danger she had been put through on a regular basis, Nariko couldn't even remember the last time she got angry.

It was quite recently that she found out why that was, though. From her perspective, she never let her rage out once since coming to Dark Gate Academy. The truth, however, was far more disheartening. She was granted powers by a demon of the Darkworld against her knowledge, powers that turned her into a mindless violent animal whenever she got mad.

Now she realises. She understands now why... despite her best efforts, despite the fact that she was always charming and nice a polite and very forward, few people wanted to spend time with her, and few took up her offers to drink tea. Now she understands the look in their eyes when they talk to her.

People are afraid of her.

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“Oh, what have we got here?”

Nariko hunkers down to greet the injured cat. White fur, and several bloody cuts across it's body, it appears to have been attacked by a dog and has already lost a lot of blood. “Are you okay, little guy?”

The cat gives a low, sad purr as Nariko lets out a sigh. She removes her backpack from her shoulders and pulls out some bandages, and soon gets to work on wrapping up the kitten's wounds. She then pulls out a small purple blanket, which she wraps the kitten in before picking it up in her arms, swaddling it like a baby. “Come on, little fella...” Nariko smiles, as she slings the backpack over one shoulder. “I know a place where you'll be safe, and right at home!”

As she carries the cat along with her, she sees a large brown dog, an ugly and vicious looking mutt rounding the corner. It spots Nariko and smells the kitten, before letting off an aggressive growl. Nariko growls back, and finds the dog is too intimidated to approach her. As she passes by, she notices the claw marks on the dog. They're cut deep, too. Nariko can't help but smile as she looks down at the kitten. “You did that, huh? That's so brave of you, standing up for yourself against a big bully like that... you know, I think I just thought of the perfect name for you. Come along, Ryoji.”

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“Excuse me, Nariko? Can I talk to you for a minute? In my room?”

“Uhh... sure...”

Nariko follows Hiro into his dormroom, as Hiro shuts the door behind him. Nariko always liked Hiro. He's an incredibly sweet boy, cares so much for others... and Nariko has to admit, she has more than just a little crush on him. Of course, his good-nature and innocence prove to be a hindrance in that regard, as he couldn't even begin to understand girls, let alone think about one in a romantic light. Regardless, Nariko's always stuck by his side, hung out with him, gotten him to pet Daisuke... though she proved a little too forceful when it came to that last one. She can be a little too excited about cats at times.

“Is there something wrong, Hiro?” Nariko asks, before gasping. “Is it little Ryoji? Tell me, is he-”

“The kitten's fine,” Hiro smiles. “It was only a few cuts, nothing I couldn't heal... even as little as I like to use this power, knowing where it comes from...”

“Oh,” Nariko places a finger to her chin, a wry smile developing on her face. “Then perhaps you've brought me here to confess something to me?”

“Yes, I have,” Hiro nods.

Nariko's eyes widen. She was just suggesting it as a joke, but perhaps the boy has finally matured to the point of becoming interested in the opposite sex? Nariko can't contain her joy, as she practically bounces in place. “Don't be shy Hiro, let your confession out...”

“Okay...” Hiro replies. “It's about the kitten.”

Wait, what?

“About... little Ryoji?” Nariko asks. “But I thought you said he was fine! Did you lie to me Hiro? Di you tell me that little Ryoji was fine when in fact he succumbed to his injuries and that poor adorable kitten is lying in a shallow grave this very moment? How could you Hiro?!”

Hiro turns brought red, and begins shaking his hands in the air in frantic defence of himself. “W-what? No! He is fine, it's just... his name.”

“What about it?” Nariko asks.

“Nariko... Ryoji isn't dead.”

“Yes, I know...” Nariko nods, “You healed him.”

“No, I mean... Ryoji Shida isn't dead.”

Nariko again nods. “Yeah, I know that! He's just stuck in that Darkworld! You think I would give hope on Ryoji making it out of there? What kind of friend do you take me for!”

Hiro scratches the back of his head. “Yes, but... you named the kitten Ryoji. The last cat you found... you named it Daisuke, after Daisuke had died.”

“Yes... so?”

“Well, naming it Ryoji gives everyone else some bad impressions,” Hiro explains. “When you ran into the dorms with the kitten wrapped up in a blanket yelling about how Ryoji needs help... I saw Saki open her dormroom. She stepped out with this... incredible light on her face when she heard his name, but when she saw what was happening, it all faded. It was painful to see... I just don't want someone as kind as Saki to go through that kind of pain again...”

“But the name is a celebration of Ryoji!” Nariko protests. “I named him after Ryoji because he has white hair, like Ryoji, and he's scrappy! He went up against a dog nearly ten times his size and still got some hits in! Doesn't that remind you of anyone!”

“Please, Nariko...” Hiro sighs, “Just change the name.”

Nariko makes her way over to Hiro's bed, where she notices the purple blanket, with little Ryoji curled up underneath. She sits on the edge of the bed and pokes her finger under the blanket, and Ryoji licks the tip, as Nariko lets out a light giggle. “No... he's my cat. I rescued him, and I know what his name is! His name is Ryoji, it's the only name that's right!”

Hiro lets out a long sigh, as he approaches her. “Nariko... can you please be a little more reasonable?”

“No!” Nariko yells as she snaps her head to face Hiro, leading to something she didn't want to see. Hiro takes a step back from her, his hands trembling. He's scared of her, isn't he? He thought she was getting mad.

Nariko hangs her head low, and picks up the kitten before running out of Hiro's room. She can't let him see her cry, he'll never be interested in her then.

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“Here you go, Ryouma.”

Nariko sets out a second bowl of milk for her white furred kitten. It took her over a week before she finally caved in a changed the name. The final decision came when she was talking to little Ryoji in the lounge, when Saki entered. Nariko shared an awkward silence, refusing to call the cat by name as Saki made herself some food that she intended to take back to her room. Saki took one look at that cat, paused, then made her way back to her dormroom. The sobbing Nariko heard afterwards seemed to last forever. From that point on, the cat was now Ryouma.

“You know, I liked you a lot better when you were Ryoji,” Nariko squints her eyes, hunkering over the kitten. As it looks up at her with bright eyes, her heart melts and she smiles. “Oh, who am I kidding? I could never be angry with you. You and Daisuke are just too perfect!”

In that week, she hadn't spoken to Hiro at all. Any time they found themselves near each-other, Nariko would bail from the room as fast as she could. Nariko doesn't doubt that Hiro has noticed something wrong, though she's also certain that he has no clue as to what Nariko's problem is... she always runs before he has time to speak.

Nariko just can't bring herself to face that sweet innocent boy knowing that she made him recoil in fear from nothing more than a slight raising of her voice. If it was someone like Hoshi, she could understand. Nariko has made Hoshi recoil in fear countless times, as have many others... but Hiro is made of stronger stuff. He may be meek, but Hiro is anything but cowardly. An all-powerful Archdemon isn't enough to make Hiro recoil in fear... and yet she was. What does that say about her? That she's worse? That she's more terrifying? Nariko has no idea what she's like whenever she enters those fits of rage, but judging by the way people stare at her... it can't be pretty.

It's funny... she never noticed those looks before. Well, if she did, she never understood them. Now that she thinks about it, Ryoji... the human Ryoji, was so eager to sit down with her and have tea and talk when they first met... he didn't visit her again after that, after she assumes he found out about her. Was Ryoji afraid of her too? Knowing this... knowing that everyone has seen her differently than she thought has been... disheartening.

“Something wrong, Nariko?”

Nariko is broken from her though by a familiar voice. She looks up to see a brown haired boy with a hat, and a fishing rod leaning over his shoulder. “Oh... hey Ken,” Nariko remarks. “Break any hearts lately?”

There's a brief silence between the two, before Nariko nervously scratches her arm. “That sounded a lot more like an insult than I meant it to...”

Ken shakes his head and laughs. “It's okay... you know Nariko, you look kinda frustrated.”

So it's noticeable. Nariko certainly hasn't been acting herself since the small incident with Hiro. Avoiding a boy she'd usually stop at nothing to interact with is just the least of it. She's found herself caught in thought a lot more often, much less talkative... hell, she's barely even spoken to Nanami recently, and she's her roommate. Nariko has altogether become a lot more introverted than she'd care to lately.

Ken waves his hand in front of Nariko's face, breaking her from another train of thought. “Hello? Anyone home?”

Nariko shakes her head and sighs. “Sorry, I've just been caught up in... you know what, never mind. It's nothing you need to bother yourself with.”

“Huh...” Ken mutters. “Well, I was just about to do what always helps me relax...” he points out the fishing rod in his hand. “Maybe you'd like to come with?”

“Go fishing?” Nariko mutters. There's no doubt that it's a relaxing experience, and Ken is a fairly calming presence... plus, considering her current condition, Nariko would like nothing more than a way to calm herself down. She doesn't ever want to get angry again. The look on poor Hiro's face... the way he trembled and shook... Nariko lets out a forlorn sigh. She's far too small and cute to be a monster.

“Sure, I'll come along.”

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“There's no fish in this pond, is there?”

Ken chuckles. “Now, what gave you that idea?”

Nariko sighs. “First off, this pond is tiny. It's basically a puddle. Any fish that would be in here would be... miniscule. Secondly, this water is clear enough to see inside the pond, and I haven't seen a single fish.”

“But Nariko, I fish here all the time!” Ken protests.

“And you've never actually caught anything here, have you?”

Ken laughs. “Okay... you've got me. Truth is this pond is completely empty.”

Nariko pouts. “Then why are you wasting my time? Why go fishing in a pond with absolutely no fish?”

Ken leans back, placing his hands behind his head. “It's not about catching fish, Nariko. If I wanted to actually catch something, I would have gone out to the lake in town. It's not far.”

Nariko pauses. “I don't understand.”

“It's not about the fishing. It's all about finding a peaceful, beautiful place where I can relax and focus on my thoughts... heck, there's an added peace in knowing that I'm not actually going to catch anything,” Ken smiles.

Nariko stares at the pond, then back to Ken. “I still don't get it. Not being able to catch anything, sitting here for hours without anything to show for it... it just sounds annoying to me.”

Ken sighs. “Nariko, I get it. You're the restless type. You don't do anything without expecting results, right?”

“Well... yeah. Is there any other way to live?” Nariko asks. “I just don't like wasting time. I don't like failing. It's annoying, it's frustrating, it makes me so... so...”

“Angry?” Ken asks. Nariko goes silent. “You're worried about your anger issues, aren't you.”

Nariko nods, and Ken nods in turn. “Yeah, I thought so. I figured coming out here might give you a new perspective, maybe help you calm down.”

Nariko laughs. “I don't think it's working.”

“Well, at least I tried,” Ken replies. “There's other methods... maybe you should talk to Sora, take part in some meditation?”

“That doesn't sound appealing at all!” Nariko protests, before letting out a sigh. “Since I don't remember when I do... how often do I... you know, get angry?”

“Not that often,” Ken answers. “I've only seen you go into your rage mode five... six times, max.”

“Huh...” Nariko mutters. “And when I do... am I scary?”

“Scary?” Ken asks. “Well... you can be pretty intimidating. It's pretty jarring seeing someone as kind and cheerful as you go wild like that.”

“I see... you're scared of me too,” Nariko sighs.

Ken turns his head and raises his eyebrow. “Scared? Why would I be scared of you?”

“Because I'm a monster,” Nariko replies, pushing her knees up to her face. “I'm a monster who can control herself and will go into a murderous rampage. Everyone's afraid of me, I can see it on their faces. Hoshi, Chihiro, even Nanami... even Hiro...”

“Nariko...” Ken sighs, edging closer to her, before wrapping his arm around her shoulder in a comforting position. “None of us are afraid of you. You're our friend.”

“Don't lie...” Nariko mutters, “You all think I'm some kind of freak.”

“Nariko, look at me,” Ken smiles. “Do I look like I think of you that way?”

Nariko looks over to the smiling Ken, an aura of warmth emanating from him. “You're right, I shouldn't lump you in there... but Hiro is afraid of me. I raised my voice to him last week, and he... he actually recoiled in fear!”

Ken tuts. “Nariko... you startled him, that's all. Hiro could never be afraid of you. You're one of his best friends.”

Nariko gives a weak smile, then hangs her head low. “I guess... but that's not all that's bothering me. You see... I'm afraid of myself.”

“Nariko?”

Nariko stands up, clenching her fist. “I said it! I'm afraid of myself! I'm afraid of what I'll do if I ever got angry again, and I'm afraid of how easy it will be. I thought I had a handle on my rage, that I had managed to keep it contain since I came to this school, but I was wrong! I failed! I failed and I don't want it to... I don't want it to happen again...”

Ken picks himself off the ground. “You don't want what to happen again?”

Nariko takes a deep breath. “Ken, I... I killed someone.”

“What, recently?”

“No, no!” Nariko wipes her forehead. “It was when I was a kid. I was seven years old, and this bully was terrorising a cat... he had beaten me up on my way to school several times before that to. Seeing him pick on a poor defenceless animal like that... I couldn't help myself. I picked up a rock and threw it at him, hoping that I could chase him off! It... it hit him in the head and... he died. He was only a kid himself, and I killed him!”

“Nariko...” Ken mutters, before pulling her in close for a hug. He holds her tight and whispers, “It's okay... you were just a kid, and it was an accident. It's not your fault, and it's not going to happen again.”

“H-how can you be sure?” Nariko asks, clutching the back of Ken's shirt tightly, fighting back tears.

“Because... you're you, Nariko. You're a good person. You're not some monster, and you're not capable of doing something like that. We all trust you.”

Nariko sniffles. “T-thanks, Ken...”

“No problem. I'm your friend, aren't I?” Ken laughs.

Nariko giggles as she pulls out of the hug. “Yeah, you are... by the way, I have a bone to pick with you, mister!”

Ken smiles, happy to see Nariko acting more like herself. “Oh, and what's that?”

“You need to take Nanami out on a date!” Nariko exclaims. “Can't you see that girl is absolutely perfect?! You're passing up a huge opportunity!”

“You're one to talk,” Ken replies. “Aren't you the one who keeps coming on to Hiro? You know he's completely clueless when it comes to romance! You have to be forward!”

“I can't do that!” Nariko protests. “I need to let Hiro come out of his shell! He needs to realise the attraction he obviously has for me, because I'm adorable, and make the first move! It's all apart of the learning process!”

“Uh-huh...” Ken mutters with a smirk, “And this wouldn't be because you're too embarrassed to ask a guy out?”

“Of course not!” Nariko chuckles. “I could ask a guy out any day of the week! Not Hiro though... he's a special case!”

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Over the next couple days, Nariko was beginning to feel a lot like her old self. It seems all she really needed was to open up to a friend. She began to train her combat skills, looking to improve as much as she can. She intended to become more useful in a battle without having to rely on her rage boost... it still scared her, no pep talk was going to change that. Still, she wasn't going to sit around and mope about it, she was going to elect to change things. She still hadn't talked to Hiro yet, she had to ease herself back into that.

“You want more?” Nariko sighs, emptying out another can of cat food into little Ryouma's bowl. “I swear, you're going to get fat very quickly!”

Nariko chuckles to herself, as she hears another person enter the dorm lounge. She turns her head to see Saki, walking over to the cats. Daisuke leaps from the countertop to her shoulder, startling the head of class briefly, before she makes her way to the white-furred cat. “Hey there...” Saki smiles, hunkering down to the cats level and scratching behind its ear. “You enjoying your food, uhh...”

She pauses at the name, as Nariko lets out a sigh. “It's okay, Saki... he's called Ryouma now.”

“Oh...” Saki mutters, before looking back at the cat. “You know... he doesn't look much like a Ryouma. I think you should stick with Ryoji... I like it better.”

“Really?” Nariko asks.

Saki nods and smiles. “Yeah... it was real nice of you to name it after him. He really deserves something named after him...”

Saki stands up, and pulls Nariko in for a quick hug. Pulling away, she chuckles. “Besides... it will annoy the hell out of him when he comes back.”

Saki strides out of the room with confidence, and Nariko can't help but smile. It's good to see Saki in such high-spirits, it seems the both of them have seen an uplift in their moods. It seems like everyone has finally began to recover from the Endless Nights.

“Hey... Nariko?”

And there it is. Nariko turns her head to see a pretty black haired boy entering the room. “Hey Hiro,” she smiles. It's good to see him again, without immediately running out of the room.

It's then that Nariko notices the look on his face. He looks so nervous, as if he was just about ready to cry. “Nariko... I'm so sorry!” he emotionally exclaims.

“For what?” Nariko asks.

“I... I don't know!” Hiro replies, his voice at the same tone, “But I must have said something or done something to upset you, and whatever it was, I'm sorry. I hope that you can forgive me and take me back as your best friend!”

Best friend? She knew they were close, but she didn't know that Hiro thought of her as his best friend... considering how quickly and easily Hiro makes friends, that says something. Something that warms the cockles of Nariko's heart.

“It's okay Hiro, you didn't do anything wrong...” Nariko shakes her head, approaching the poor emotional boy. “I just needed some time alone, that's all.”

“Oh...” Hiro mutters. “Then I'll leave you to it, then. Sorry for interrupting-”

“What? No!” Nariko laughs. “I'm fine now! You can stay! I... want you to stay.”

“Oh... sorry.”

Nariko shakes her head as she throws her arms around him, hugging him tight. “Stop apologising, Hiro.”

“Okay... sorr-I mean...”

Hiro blushes as Nariko giggles. “Oh, I've missed you so much you innocent little idiot...” Nariko jokes.

“I've missed you too, you... uhh... lovely lady,” Hiro replies.

“Come on Hiro,” Nariko pulls at him. “Let's go shopping in town! I haven't gone in a while, and I need someone to hold my bags!”

“What? Right now?” Hiro asks.

“Of course!” Nariko laughs. “You and I have to make up for some lost time! Come on!”

“Okay... it's good to see you happy again, Nariko.”

Nariko nods. “It's good to be happy again.”

Nariko was so worried about that darker side of her, that deep rage hidden within... that horrible thing she did at far too young an age. She was scared of never being able to control it... but it's not that hard. In fact, keeping it in check is pretty easy. All she needed to do was to avoid the things that make her upset, make her angry, and instead find something that makes her happy. And that isn't too hard... she has something that makes her happy right here.

“Nariko, why are you holding my hand?”

“No reason, Hiro... just want to.”

Yeah... this is all she's ever needed.

THE END