Narukami Break

But nothing of the sort - instead, the very same encouragement that had been iterated the last time he’d done something drastic at the cost of their happiness. The very same which he had affirmed to Kai and had turned onto him when he was guilty of making the same decisions.

                         That they were there to share the burden of the great weight on his shoulders. They were coming back, one by one, and banding together in Hive City as opposed to Hitsue, the same rules applied. And Naoki himself had opted not to be any different than had been the norm back home.

What had happened between them months earlier had been a terrible misunderstanding stemming from one of the Scientists’ trials.

                                                        He’d still to learn to allow others to help him, in the same way he was so eager to the same for everyone else. His troubles, his fears and problems - they needn’t be kept secret and eat away at him from the inside out.

                Though conquering such a bad habit, he knew, was going to take time.                   But knowing Naoki’s honest feelings would be a great help in getting back on the right track of righting himself. There were things he still couldn’t bring himself to talk about, but perhaps smaller problems might be resolved in the mean time, and he could piece himself together again one day.

An arm around him pressed him more firmly against Naoki’s frame, flooding his eyes with tears that trickled down and rested his brow against the older’s shoulder. Not the audible cries that would be standard for most, but the silence that was for him, sharp inhales and trembles in Naoki’s embrace.

He’d let the his words sink in, only to realize that Aichi was crying into his shoulder. Those sharp intakes of breath, Aichi really did have a lot of pent up emotions, didn’t he? Naoki wouldn’t move, letting Aichi remain where he was, getting whatever was raggin’ him out of his system.

     “Ya finally told me, Aichi.”

     “It’s hard, admittin' what ya said, but...ya did yer best. And now ya gotta do yer very best. Yer not gonna separate from us, even if yer scared that’ll happen.”

     “Ya always kept those words bottled up, didn’t ya? If everythin’ for ya seems to be down an’ out, do ya honestly think ya can’t overcome it? Or rather...do ya think we can’t overcome it? Like it or not, yer stuck with us, and together we’ll get over any obstacle.”

His words were a little gruff, but gentle and kind. That may have been Naoki’s true nature all along, but only a few had ever seen that. Most would look at him as some kind of suspicious character at first glance, but...he always meant the best. 

And he was never one to abandon someone on his own free will. 

     “Ya got us. We’re always willing to listen to ya, but if we’re not enough, yanno Gaillard counts for us too, right? I know I’ve hurt ya before because of this city...that ain’t gonna happen again. Not ever.”

There was conviction in his voice--he truly believed in what he’d said. His next words, however, were warm. He was...glad to have his friend back. He hadn’t been rejected as someone never to be trusted again. And he’d fight to protect that, no matter what. 

     “No matter how difficult things get, we’ll get through them, together. Relying on us isn’t using us, so let us help carry yer burden. Let’s find yer future, Aichi. No matter how dark it looks now, we’ll make sure yer future is a bright one.”

Any audible reaction was delayed - enough that Naoki would place emphasis on Aichi’s self-critical ways, excessively so. The smaller frame went rigid; it was one thing when the supposed failure was one he could attempt to view differently, just as Naoki said. But what about when he did ultimately fail?

From what the other spoke, he’d come to understand plenty while in the company of their inner circle - because of that trial they’d endured; of which he held responsibility. That was one he was in the process of leaving in the past, just as Naoki emphasized to.                           But everything since entering the city was another story.                           As much as he would have yearned to put the trauma of his reckless actions in the past and leave them, they continued to haunt him.

Because anywhere else, and he wouldn’t have had a future.

       Trembling fists by his sides clenched tighter, leading to shuddering which extended all the way to his shoulders.

                                      “After what happened… I should be the one who should be making everything right.                               Things happened… wh- while you were gone. A lot… a lot of dreadful things…” More than he could or would disclose, than he could bear to, for his sake as much as Naoki’s.

Throat tight and body shaking violently, he pressed forward, seizing hold of Naoki’s jacket and clutching on as if the older might disappear if he didn’t. All this talk about the future and he feared still that he wasn’t the same person who had been the one who take such a great gamble. Before losing.

            “I want to learn from you. When you were trapped in the past, you stopped moving forward. And I’m stuck the same! I don’t know what to do… how to carry on when everything stopped. I don’t want to lose you again, or anyone, but I–” The lump in his throat prevented the distressed blurting from proceeding, from letting slip anything further damaging.

     “Aichi, ya better listen up, since I’ve got news for ya.”

His voice was quiet, reserved as Aichi clutched onto Naoki’s jacket, resting their forehead against his chest. 

...He knew that Aichi must be in a world of pain, but that didn’t mean that Aichi should close his eyes to the obvious. Naoki didn’t realize how selfish he’d been earlier, but now that he did, he could see things more clearly. 

     “Yanno, it’s fine to be scared. It’s okay to lose yerself. Feel free to do so.”

Naoki would lightly pat the other’s head. He only hoped he was saying the right thing, and he was trying his hardest to be the support that Aichi needed, and he’d never forgive himself if he’d failed. 

     “If ya did that, there’s not a one of us who wouldn’t drop everything to find ya again.”

Aichi...don’t worry. Naoki would have this matter dealt with soon enough. Honestly, the words he uses were a little rough, but he just needs to get the point across. 

     “If yer lost, I’ll come get’cha, along with everyone else. We’re yer friends. Scientists doin’ whatnot ain’t gonna change that. We know ya got our backs, so let us have yers, okay?”

Learning from him, huh?

     “I came back because I knew ya’d find me, Aichi. And jus’ like that, I wanna do the same for ya. I’m right here, yanno...I’m right here.”

With that, he’d wrap an arm round Aichi’s shoulders, hugging him. That was the final point he had to prove. After everything that had happened, Naoki was here. He’d never resented Aichi, not the real Naoki...he was a friend. A friend willing to help whenever needed. 

     “See? I found ya, Aichi.” 

A pause. 

     Peering to the side as she walked past a patch of grass, her eyes caught one boy playing with a deck of cards. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d seen someone card fighting or with monster cards, only this time he seemed to be at it alone. Lifting the corners of her lips in the slightest chance of a friendly demeanour, she approached the redhead and asked,  

     “...Nope, ne’er heard of that one before. This right here is Vanguard.” 

Shifting more so the other could see the cards better, Naoki gestured to them. He wasn’t unfriendly, he just wasn’t the type to smile over nothing, another thing he’d learned not to do in this city.  

In all honesty, some of the zombies in Sector 3 didn’t seem to be doing anything. They just wandered around, maybe mumbling something about brains. But at the moment, Evie wanted to do nothing more than fight them. Still, she needed a reason, something to justify an attack. So she sat, waiting on a rooftop for a civilian to pass by so that she could save them from the hoard. Soon enough someone did pass by and she didn’t spare a second, leaping from the roof to tackle two of the creatures. 

Finally, something fun to do in this city, she thought to herself. While she may not have her weapons, it should be easy enough for her to take out at least a few of these guys with her bare hands. Grinning, she turned to the person whose life she may have saved, maybe. 

     “T-thank ya very much! I can’t do all too much, but if there’s anythin’ I can do to help ya out, lemme know!”

He’d bow his head in gratitude, smiling as he did.