Ray Tanaka: This story was originally finished at the start of June for Pride Month, but decided to post it here as well since I figured it'd get some more attention. For those who don't know, Na Kika is from the graphic novel Godzilla Dominion and inspired by a picture someone I follow made of the three kaiju from the graphic novel as humans. So, enjoy my first story with a non-binary character.
Evening is coming quickly, allowing the sky to become a mix of pink and orange as the sun begins to retreat from the approaching night. The view is such a beautiful sight, especially from the covered patio of a small solitary house which stands on a beach. This patio has wooden floors with a glass table in the middle flanked on the sides by outdoor chairs and an ottoman on the left.
The sliding door of the small house opens before a person walks out holding a black tea pot before closing the door behind them. This person appears to be in their early thirties with them wearing an aquamarine colored sundress which is covered by a sky blue shawl which covers their shoulders and upper chest. All of this is covered by a rose colored cape which covers their arms and reaches the middle of their back as they walk barefoot over to the table.
Their hair has a natural red color with it tied into two ponytails which drape over their shoulders and are tied at the ends with light blue ribbons. These ties match perfectly with the blue eyes they have as they put the tea pot down on the table which also has two yunomi teacups on it.
This person is actually one of the beings known by normal humans as Titans – or Kaiju depending on where people live – who goes by the name of Na Kika. They take a breath before letting out a sigh to let out a bit of stress they have as they remain on the patio which is lit up by overhead lights. Putting their hands on the table, Na Kika takes a few more deep breaths as they try to ground themselves for what's about to happen.
The Titan had recently discovered something about themselves, but was terrified if they just told everyone and it resulted in the other Titans abandoning them. As such, they put some thought into what to do and ended up reaching out to one of the other Titans.
An old friend they knew they could trust.
However, this didn't make the gentle titan any less stressed since even this was making them nervous about how things will go. As they stop their deep breathing and return to normal breathing, they look out to the ocean and watches the waves come rolling in onto the shore. It's quite the sight, especially for a titan who belongs to the ocean hence why Na Kika had set up their home on the beach.
Suddenly, the wind picks up and a faint clinking noise is heard which makes them look over to see the wind chimes they have hanging from the roof over the patio. The wooden tubes of the ornament clink against each other as the wind makes the rods move to the right based off Na Kika's vision. After a few seconds, the wind dies down before a gentle thud coming from the roof startles the titan.
Looking up, Na Kika hears faint foot steps going across the roof of their home which quickly moves over their head and to the end of the roof over the patio. The foot steps stop almost immediately and the gentle titan watches before something comes down which quickly lands in front of the patio.
After a moment, the being stands up which shows that it's their old friend who looks like a man in his late thirties to early forties. He is wearing a black kimono and trousers which are tucked into black jika-tabi which he's wearing for foot wear. Around his waist is a plain white obi which holds the saya for both an uchigatana and a wakizashi with his left hand resting on the hilt of the larger sword.
The man has brown fingerless gloves over his hands which Na Kika sees easily due to him raising his right hand towards his face. His short brown hair is slick back with the middle of it being a white color and spiked upward while he looks at Na Kika with his grey eyes. Grabbing the brown tenugi towel around the bottom of his face, the man pulls it down to show his nose and mouth along with what looks like black tattoos on his cheeks which appear like three spikes curved down to his jaw line.
As he lets the towel hang around his neck, the man – who is actually a kaiju – says in Japanese, "Good evening, Na Kika."
Smiling as they easily understand what he's saying, Na Kika walks over from around the table as they replies, "Hello, Varan. Thank you so much for coming."
"You're welcome," Varan replies with a smile, "I understand that you needed to talk to me about something."
"Yes, but let's relax first," the gentle titan replies, gesturing to the table, "Come, please."
Nodding, the wind kaiju steps onto the patio and follows his friend to the table before they pull out a chair from one side of the table. Na Kika sits down on the left side of the table while their old friend takes the other chair and he begins to relax.
Picking up the tea pot, the gentle titan holds the pot as Varan gently picks up the yunomi in front of him before green tea is poured into it. Smiling, the wind kaiju nods and moves the teacup close as he breaths in the aroma of the tea while Na Kika pours some into their own yunomi. Once the tea pot is put back onto the table, the titan picks up their teacup before both take a sip of the tea which lets them taste the smooth and flowery flavor it holds.
"Great tea as ever, Na Kika," Varan says, lowering his yunomi cup to smile at his friend.
"Thank you," Na Kika replies, though smiling as they asks, "I though you learned how to speak English like the others?"
The wind kaiju takes another sip of his tea and looks at them before stating in English, "I did."
"Then...why don't you speak it?" they ask, raising an eyebrow in curiosity, "Everyone else does, and I know the other Titans use it in public."
"I prefer my native language honestly," Varan replies, switching back to Japanese, "Nothing against the language, it just doesn't suit me."
Na Kika chuckles, smiling as they takes another sip of their tea and really just enjoying the conversation they're having with their old friend. Once they lower teacup, they decide to keep the small talk going as they ask, "Just curious, how are the others doing?"
Varan blinks as he looks at them for a moment before saying, "If you mean Caesar and Goro, they're doing fine. I actually visited Caesar the other week and found him training Titanosaurus."
"Caesar is her trainer?" the gentle titan asks in surprise, "Strange, I thought her and Caesar were on bad terms."
"You can thank Manda for changing things for them," the wind kaiju replies, taking a sip of his tea before he continues, "She and Caesar were already close friends and I remember she told me that she convinced the two to talk things out so they were on better terms."
After a sip from their yunomi, Na Kika states, "Well, nice to see the Guardian of the Sea making sure there's peace. Guess you two were having a get together when you found out?"
"In a way," Varan replies, looking at his friend with a sincere smile, "Though, it was nice to speak to her again...much like it always is with you, my lady."
The clattering of the yunomi landing on the table and the spilling of the tea across it actually surprised the kaiju. However, his surprise turns to concern as he sees the titan shaking and their look of horror as they stare right back at him.
"Na Kika?" Varan asks quietly, blinking as he tries to comprehend what had just happened.
This was it. There was no turning back now.
Well...there was, but Na Kika knows that they can't put this off any longer since this was exactly why they asked their friend to come over. Taking a quick breath, they say in a shaky voice, "Varan...I...I have...something to tell you..."
The wind kaiju looks at his friend with worry and confusion as he gently asks, "What is it?"
Closing their eyes, the gentle titan mentally gathers their courage as the wind kaiju watches them and waiting for their answer. After a few moments, Na Kika opens their eyes and looks at their old friend before they say what they need to say.
"Varan...I found out I'm non-binary."
The moment he hears this...Varan's mind blanks as he just blinks at the information. He opens his mouth to speak, but his mind can't form words as he keeps staring at his friend whose getting more worried by the second.
Finally, the gentle titan gulps down some air as their eyes begin to water before asking, "Do...do you even...know what that means?"
Their friend stops as they gently set their yunomi down on the table before looking at them and shaking their head. Seeing this, Na Kika lets out a whimper as their head comes down into their hands and they feel tears start to fall.
They try to breath, wanting so much to go back inside and away from their friend – if they were even still their friend anymore. This was the one thing they didn't take into account, that their friend even knew what they were talking about. It made them feel even more like a complete idiot, not bothering to see if the other kaiju even knew or had any opinions on-
Na Kika gasps as they feel their right wrist being gently held and looks up to see Varan sitting in the ottoman next to their chair. However, his eyes look at them with kindness and comfort as he smiles while speaking to them.
"I don't know what it means, but I'm willing to learn, Na Kika."
They wait a few moments, watching the other kaiju and their expression to see if he is actually lying but...they don't see that. All they see is a friend who actually cares for them and wants to know more about them.
Smiling at this, Na Kika moves forward and hugs the wind kaiju who quickly hugs them back with one hand rubbing their back. Crying a bit from their earlier emotion, the gentle titan says quietly, "I...I thought you'd...just abandon me."
"I would never do that to you, Na Kika," Varan tells them as he continues to rub their back, "I vowed years ago that I'd never leave you behind...and all I've ever seen from you are reasons to keep that vow."
"I remember that," the gentle titan says quietly as takes a deep breath, "We were so young back then...and you wanted to keep me safe from more violent kaiju."
"And I will continue to uphold that vow," the wind kaiju replies, "If others know what it means and hate you because of it, then they shouldn't have been able to know you beforehand."
Pulling back while still hugging them, Na Kika looks at their old friend who smiles at them and couldn't help but smile back. It...honestly doesn't feel like they're alone anymore, as their friend is willing to learn – from them – and stay by their side. That made them feel safe, like they have a safety net for when the time comes to finally tell the others.
"Thank you for being willing to stay with me, Varan," Na Kika says, feeling like a large weight has been taken off their shoulders.
"You're welcome...Na Kika."