Ayano's Negative Side
By TheBlackKid
Chapter 1 – The Curse
"Well then…" Yui said. "I guess now the rest of us are going in the hot spring. I bet No doubt you're coming too right, Kyouko?"
"Uh…actually. You guys go on ahead. I'm just gonna sit here for a while."
"Huh. Kyouko's actually doing nothing for once. It's rather shocking." Chizuru said.
"H-Hey!"
"No, she has a point, Kyouko." I said.
"A really huge one." Chitose added.
"Tch! Wh-Whatever…" Kyouko pouted while blushing a little.
"Holy crap. She's blushing." The four of us said together.
"W-Will you get out of here?!"
"Still though. Seeing Kyouko like that is still hard to believe." Chizuru said.
"Yeah, it really is." Yui said. "I've known her since childhood and this side of her reminds me of how she was a total crybaby before."
"Kyouko Toshinio?"
"A crybaby?" Both Chitose and I asked.
"Believe it or not, she was. Akari and I always had to calm her down from the littlest of things."
"Woah."
"Wait, so how did she turn into that obnoxious side everyone knew her for?" Chizuru asked.
"*sigh* I wish I knew, Chizuru."
*BIG SPLASH NOISE*
"Gah! Sakurako! You don't cannonball into a hot spring!"
"Wish you would've told me that earlier. Ouch."
"Why would she? That's just common sense."
"Geez, what are those three doing now?" Yui asked with an annoyed look on her face. "I'm going in now. Come on, Mari."
"Coming." Mari replied.
"Alright. Come on, Aya…" Chitose took one look at me and saw that I haven't taken any of my clothes off. "You're still dressed?"
"Give me a break, Chitose. This isn't exactly an easy thing for me to do. I mean…not with that."
"I see. Just hurry before it gets too late. Come on, Chizuru."
"Coming." Chizuru replied.
…
…
"*sigh* I don't know how they put up with me."
I tried to take off my clothes one-by-one. But even though I was all alone in the changing room, I still couldn't do it. The nerves inside me were taking over my mind. I was so scared that someone might walk in right when…
…
…right when they become visible.
You're probably wondering what I mean by they, aren't you? Well…they just happen to be a deep, dark, and horrible secret that I've been keeping for years. This secret has ruined my life. As I'm constantly on guard to make sure no one finds out.
This secret…is, well…
…
*sigh* I'm infected with a curse.
I know it sounds unbelievable. But it's true. And I know how I got it too.
It started when I was around 4-years-old. I was not how I am today. Smart. Serious. Well behaved.
…
…A-A bit of a tsundere (yes, I admit it).
A-Anyway, I wasn't like that when I was younger. In fact, I was kind of a bit…w-well…u-unbalanced. A-As a nice way to put it. I think. Wh-What I mean is…I struggled with school a lot. A-And pretty much common everyday things.
B-Basically what I'm trying to say is…I-I'm…a-autistic. B-But only by a little! Wh-What I mean is I'm low on the scale.
…
…
W-Wait, hold on a second! Me being autistic is NOT the curse! I'm getting there alright?! I-I just…had to get that off my chest first.
Trust me, it leads to a fate way worse than being autistic. A dark and horrible one.
It was because of that and not doing well at school that made my parents look up some…alternatives to help me do better. But it wasn't for my own well-being. They had way too much high hopes for me. And since I had autism, they believed that having the successful daughter they've always dreamed of was highly unlikely.
So then one day, they took me to this strange hut out in a rural part of town. Since I was only 4 at the time, I didn't have a clue what was going on. So I just sat there and watch as the adults (being my mom, dad, and this weird-looking old lady) were talking.
Then, from what I remember, the same weird-looking old lady came up to me and said this weird chant while waving a magic wand of some sorts. I then started feeling an excruciating pain all over my body. My head, my arms, my stomach, my feet. All of it was hurting.
"M…Mommy! D…Daddy! I-It hurts…"
I remember saying that repeatedly to mom and dad. Tears rushing from my eyes as I begged for the pain to stop.
But…
…
But…they didn't do anything. Not a damn thing. They just stood there. And watched as their 4-year-old daughter scream in fear and pain. And then sometime later, I was left unconscious.
I remember waking up in a hospital bed. Unclear on what day it was. And there was this lady next to me. A young one with brunette hair and wearing a business suit.
And she was the only one there.
I didn't see my mom or dad anywhere. And my 4-year-old self was scared out of my mind.
"You're awake. Are you okay?" The woman asked me.
"Wh-Who are you? Wh-Where's my mommy and daddy?"
"Uh. Well…th-they're gone, sweetheart."
"G-Gone? A-Are they coming back? W-Will I see them again?"
"I-It's…rather unlikely."
"S-So…th-they left me?" I then started to form tears in my eyes.
"W-Wait, don't cry-"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Then as I cried, I started feeling pain all over my body. I winced in pain. Then I saw these purple marks that covered my entire body. And they were glowing, too. The sight of it…gave me even more fear.
"*sigh* This is what I was trying to avoid." The woman said.
"H-Hey, Ms. Lady. Wh-What happened to me? Wh-What are these glowing purple markings? A-Am I gonna die?"
"No. you're not gonna die. That's one thing that's good about this whole thing. At least."
That's when the woman told me what happened. How my parents had taken me to a woman who practices dark magic. How that woman had used her magic to rid me of my autism, but it backfired. And instead, gave me this curse.
And how my parents abandoned me. And are now on the run from the law. For taking me there in the first place.
I've never felt so hurt in my life. My parents couldn't accept me who I was. And when they tried and failed to change me, they deserted me. Leaving me with the pain and suffering that they caused.
And now every time I look in the mirror, I see the signature trademarks of my parent's destruction. They're completely visible whenever I wear anything like short-sleeve shirts, shorts, swimsuits…
…and school uniforms.
Yeah. I told the others. It's not like I had a choice. Hiding these markings is near impossible. Especially during the summer months. And the fact that they glow every once in a while defeated the purpose even more.
They were surprisingly okay with it. All of them, to be exact. Hell, all of Nanamori and even the high school I currently go to is okay with it. I guess knowing what I went through, they felt like they didn't have a choice.
As for people on the street, I just say that I'm into body tattoos. It was the best I could think of, okay?
"Ayano."
"Huh? O-Oh hey…Yui."
"You're still worried?"
"Yeah. Big time."
"Well, all the other people left already. It's just us there now. Nobody but us is going to see them."
…
"*sigh* Alright." I was still nervous about this. But with Yui confirming that it's just people from our group there, I felt a little ease.
I took off my clothes and soon followed Yui into the hot spring. Where the other 7 girls were resting themselves and enjoying the warm water.
"Geez, there you are, Ayano! I thought you ditched us or something!" Sakurako said.
"Where would I go to ditch you, Sakurako?"
"Well, you're smart. You probably figured something out."
"Lay off her already." Himawari said.
"It's okay, Himawari. I'm already used to whatever nonsense comes out of Sakurako's mouth."
"H-Hey!" Sakurako felt insulted.
"You sure were back there a while, Ayano. Were you really that afraid?" Chitose asked.
"Yeah, I was. This was the first time I've gone to a hot spring with these…markings of mine."
"Surprised they're not glowing." Chizuru said.
"They don't glow in the water. I tested it. Not sure why water is an exception to this curse, but at least I could be as ease while submerged in it."
"Well, that's good. At least." Yui said.
"So what makes them glow, Ayano? Does poking them work?" Kaede asked as she swam over and started poking my body.
"Hey! Kaede! I wanna try, too!" Mari whined as she did the exact same thing.
"H-Hey! C-Cut it out, you two!" I yelled.
"But we just want to test it." Kaede said.
"If you two end up poking a certain spot on me, then I'm going to be really pissed off!"
"Certain spot?" Sakurako asked. "Oh! You mean your pu-"
*POW*
"Ouchie…"
"Honestly. Do you even look at the ratings of these stories?" Himawari asked after punching Sakurako in the head.
"*groan* Why can't we just have a Rated-M one already?!"
"Get your own life-altering moment and MAYBE we'll think about it."
"Hmm…"
Probably shouldn't have said, Himawari.
"Anyway…to answer your question, Kaede, I don't know what makes them glow. They just do that every so often. In fact, there's a lot about this curse that I don't know about. And living every day without knowing what it could do to me is nothing but a huge struggle.
…
I…I'm honestly surprised that none of you guys think I'm a freak."
"Ayano…why would we think you're a freak?" Chitose asked me.
"Think about it, Chitose. I'm pretty sure there's no other 16-year-old girl in the world that has a curse which includes having purple markings all over her body and who knows what else."
"Well, yeah. But it's not your fault that you have this curse."
"If anything, it's those shithead parents of yours. They're the ones that tried to "fix" you just because you have autism. Sick bastards." Sakurako said.
"You know…I would hit you in the head right now for swearing in front of two 5-year-olds, but you do have a point." Himawari said.
"See? I don't only swear just for fun."
"But it's mostly that." We all retorted.
"Whatever." Sakurako pouted at the insult.
"Long story sort, Ayano." Yui said to me. "No matter how long it takes for you to get rid of this curse, we'll be with you all the way. You don't have to worry. Right guys?"
"Yep." Himawari said.
"Damn straight." Sakurako said.
"Yui's right, Ayano." Chitose said.
"Mari and I will help, too." Kaede said. With Mari adding a nod.
"Zzz…"
We all looked at Chizuru, who had fallen asleep at some point. Her head was bopping up and down and her glasses were nearly off her face.
"Is that normal?" I asked.
"Yeah, she does that a lot. Even when bathing back home." Chitose said as she swam over to her twin sister. "Come on, Sis. Let's get to bed."
"Zzz…"
"Yeah, I think it's time we got out, too." Himawari said.
"H-Hey…everyone. Th-Thank you. F-For you know…st-sticking by me this long. I most likely wouldn't have done this on my own."
"You're welcome, Ayano." Everyone said to me with a smile (except Chizuru, who's still sleeping). And in turn, I grew a smile on my own face. Probably the first I've had when mentioning this accursed trait of mine.
And it felt rather nice, too.
So that was all a week ago. And other than the fact that Kyouko and Chinastu are now a couple, nothing else came out of that hot springs trip.
It's November now. And I go back to school tomorrow. And with that, comes an all new day to live with my curse. Can it really get better from here? Will my parents be found and held responsible for what they did to me? And will I ever be rid of this curse that's been bounded with me since I was a toddler?
Honestly…who even knows at this point.
But I guess all I can do for now is live with it. Like I've done for the past 12 years already.
So, if you're willing to hear me out, I'll tell you my story…
…
…of how my negative side became a reality.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It took a while, but it's finally here. Story #3 of the Inner Struggles series. And this one's going to be a little different this time. Instead of there being secrets being kept from the others, everyone knows about Ayano's troubled past. And this story will have less self-hatred than the previous two.
And before anyone gets offended by the fact Ayano has autism, let me explain. I won't make her…you know…how most people see autistic people. Trust me, I know how people live with it. After all, I'm autistic as well. It really can be a struggle sometimes. And how Ayano will live with it will closely resemble how I did it when I was younger. So no need to worry.
I hope you guys enjoy this new entry into the series. Feel free to review/favorite/follow the story if you do. Thanks for reading. Later.