Imperfect Strangers

(Disclaimer: NANA is property of Yazawa Ai.)

Note: I haven't finished the manga or anime or anything like that, and I'm going mostly off references made in Chapter 2 of the manga. I'm not sure if this story is actually told, so if it is, this is my interpretation instead.

Chapter 1: Curiosity

Hey, Mr. Curiosity,

Is it true what they've been sayin' about you?

Are you killin' me?

You took care of the cat already,

And for those who think it's heavy,

Is it the truth?

Or is it only gossip?

-Jason Mraz, "Mr. Curiosity"

Terashima Nobuo. That was what I had been deemed by my parents. The name seemed awfully plain to me, Nobuo did, but I really did like it, probably because I was the only one who acknowledged it. With the surname of Terashima, I was only known as the heir to the successful inn that my parents ran. Whatever… they could call me what they wanted.

The bell had just rang for class to begin, and I sat at my desk, tapping my eraser idly upon the table top, my cheek leaned heavily into my hand. Class hadn't even started, and already I was bored with it… bored… or perhaps tired… I had been up all night finishing a homework assignment that I had put off until the last minute…

I yawned and blinked several times in an attempt to wake up, but to no avail. The teacher had started talking, but my attention just wasn't there. Damned homework would probably cost me the next few.

That was when the door opened.

"Forgive me for being late, sensei," She said, entering and bowing.

Osaki Nana. I'd never spoken to her, but she came in late constantly. Rumors were always flying around about her being some sort of criminal or something. It was probably because she always kept to herself and didn't have any friends. A bit like me, but I had acquaintances at least, and I didn't mind talking to people.

The teacher and her discussed for a few moments, and then Nana went to her desk and sat down. She opened her book and stared into it as if it was some abomination.

What's her problem? I thought to myself, watching her from the corner of my eye. She as the only thing that was fairly interesting at the moment, and even now my attention was waning.

I'd heard her excuses before. It was always the same one. "I was taking care of my grandmother," She would say, and the teacher would always allow her tardiness to slip by. I'd heard that she lived only with her grandmother, but no one knew for sure. I wasn't exactly out to find out. Sure, she was a lanky girl, but by her demeanor, I always got the feeling that she could kick my ass. There was a frightening intensity in her eyes that I was sure made everyone stay away. That and the criminal rumors… Maybe I was the only one brave enough to look in her eyes, even though I'd only glanced at her from across the room.

After some lecturing to the class, the teacher passed out a test. Damn it all… Sometimes I felt that fate did this on purpose. I must have done something bad in a past life.

I wrote the answers to the best of my extent, forcing down yawns as I tried to stay awake. That was when I once again caught sight of her.

She sat across the room and two desks up from me, Nana, and unlike everyone else, I watched her erase an answer and rewrite it, only to do the same thing over again. She was the most frustrated one in the class. I looked back down at my paper and wrote another answer, but my eyes kept diverting back towards her for some reason.

What's up with me? I asked myself. I shouldn't be so curious with her.

After about ten more minutes the test was taken up. At least I'd finished it… I was relieved that I at least had a chance of passing.

As the teacher took up Nana's test and walked to the next row, I saw her slam her fist down onto the desk, her black hair tumbling over her shoulder and shielding her face. It peeked my curiosity.

After class was over, I rushed to gather my things into my black bag and found myself hurrying out the door after her. She was always the first one out of the class, and I had to practically run to catch up with her.

"Osaki!" I cried, a little more loudly than I'd planned, when I caught up to her.

She paused in her quick-paced stride, then turned towards me. "What." She stated, instead of questioning.

"Ah…" I faltered, trying to remember exactly why I was doing this in the first place. "Osaki… I…" After thinking for a second I said, "I saw you… after the test… is… something wrong?"

"Is that any of your business?" She asked, not bitterly, but more in a confused way. "No. Nothing's wrong. Go away." She turned on her heel to leave.

"Ah, wait!" I cried. "I thought that maybe if you were having trouble, I could help!"

She looked back at me. "I don't need any help," She barked. "I'm fine on my own. Get the hell away from me!"

A shiver ran down my spine. Her eyes were frightening, but I wasn't going to give in. She was a girl! I was a MAN… sixteen, but a man in my mind.

"Don't get so pissed!" I replied, walking along next to her. I could tell it frustrated her that since I was taller than her, no matter how quickly she walked, I could keep up with her pace. "I was just offering some assistance. I mean, I'm not Einstein or anything, but I thought that maybe we'd both do better if we had someone to study with."

"Then study with your boyfriend or something," She replied, digging in her bag for something. I figured that she just didn't really want to look at me.

"Come on, don't be like that," I said, feeling pathetic. "And I'm not gay!"

"Uh-huh…" Nana replied unconvincingly. "Well, you're not getting into my pants."

"I'm so sure! It's not about that either!" I moaned. "Come on! Don't you ever like to hang out with ANYONE?"

"No," She replied simply, lowering her bag, either not finding what she was looking for, or finally deciding to stop avoiding my eyes.

"Well, if you tried it, you might enjoy some company once in awhile. You do want to graduate, don't you?"

"What's your name?" She asked suddenly, eyes piercing into mine.

It was a simple question, but she'd stopped me in my tracks. "T… Terashima… Nobuo…" I finally sputtered out.

"That's fascinating, Terashima Nobuo," She said blandly.

"What is?"

"The fact that you're pretending to give a damn about my well-being. Go to hell," She turned and headed off.

"Osaki!" I shouted, grabbing her shoulder. "Look! You don't understand me because you don't know me! Just… well… help me so I can help you! I know you don't like going straight home after school, right?"

She paused but this time didn't look at me. "Of course not," She replied, "but why make a big deal out of it?"

"Come on… Osaki… please… I promise I'll shut up if you just try studying with me just once…"

Finally she turned, placing a hand against my chest, then shoved me against the wall with force I'd never seen in a girl her age before. "Fine," She spat bitterly. "You've got yourself a deal, Terashima. I'll see you after school. DON'T bring anyone else. Got it?"

"Yup. Got it."

She stormed off, probably aggravated that I'd caught her.

Wait… why did I do that? I wondered once she was out of my sight. I was so desperate to get her to study with me… and she freaks me out so bad! What the hell is the matter with me?

Curiosity seemed to have gotten the better of me… Osaki Nana…

-

School ended, and despite my discomfort, I waited for her outside the building, hands in my pockets. The sky was a perfect blue, and the sun stung at my eyes.

She was the last one out of the building. She stared at me almost in surprise, as if she had expected my offer to be some sort of ditching, then returned her features to the cold glare she normally had. "Terashima," She greeted in an almost business-like manner.

"Osaki," I greeted in an equally business response, but smiled instead of frowned. "You want to study at my house, right?"

"I don't give a damn," She replied tiredly. "Just as long as it's not MY place."

I shrugged and started forward, and she followed in an almost defeated manner.

"What's your deal…?" She finally asked after walking in silence for what seemed like hours.

I glanced back at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why were you so damn desperate for me to be near you? You don't seem like the type who's out to get into girl's pants or anything like that, so… what do you want from me? What do you expect to gain?"

"I just… thought that someone should get to know you, Osaki," I replied, after thinking for a moment. "You seemed… kinda… lonely…"

"I'm perfectly fine on my own. Trust me." She didn't seem to believe her words though, and I thought for a moment that I'd seen a smile try to appear on her lips. As I watched her, I noticed that she was the only girl at school who I'd seen that didn't wear any make-up.

"I don't have any close friends or anything," I said, and then wondered why I said it. "I guess that maybe… I only thought you looked lonely… because I was lonely… or something."

"You're a dumbass," She responded, but I'd quickly grown to expect that kind of answer. "If you were looking for company, you easily could have found someone better than me."

"Eh…" I shrugged. "All those other students don't have anything new in their lives. It's all the same stuff with them. I guess I just thought I'd see what you were like. I thought that maybe you'd get where I'm coming from."

"You must be one of those smothered little children who get scared when their by themselves," She said, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"NO… well… yeah, kinda."

She had a point. I was a bit spoiled… but I mean, my family was RICH!

We were quiet until we reached the inn where I lived.

"What the hell?!" Nana cried, pointing at the building. "I had no idea you were THAT Terashima!"

For some reason, the fact that she didn't know about my family made me feel so delighted… Someone who didn't know me for my name.

"It's not that big of a deal," I shrugged, a smile unable to leave my face. Suddenly Nana was cooler.

She still seemed a bit freaked out, but she did come inside.

"I've never been to an inn like this before," She commented as she slipped out of her brown penny loafers. Those usually intense eyes were now lit with a child like wonder. "It's… really fancy…"

"Yeah," I answered back. "I guess."

She followed me down the hall towards my room, her long fingers trailing the wall. I noticed how the staff looked at her whenever they saw her, and she responded with equal disgust at them.

My room was the last one on the left, farther apart then the rest of them. I opened the door and let her go in first, then closed it behind me.

She gasped loudly, forcing me to turn around.

"The… The…" She stammered, looking at the poster on my wall. "The Sex Pistols! Oh, my God!" She ran to the poster and placed her hands against it. "You like them?" She asked, turning to me, a smile apparent on her face.

I almost fell over, I was so stunned to see her smiling. "Y… You like them?" I echoed, more stunned.

"Of course!" Nana replied. "Duh!"

I couldn't believe it… she was a Sex Pistols fan! She was getting even cooler!

She looked around my room to find something else to look at and spotted my guitar in the corner. "You play?" She asked, pointing at it.

"…not very well…" I responded sheepishly. "I just fiddle on it… I don't play in a band or anything. I've never even really played in front of anyone…"

She ran her fingers along the fret board of the guitar. It seemed that she had to put her hands on anything that interested her, like she had to feel it to know it was really there.

"It's cheap," I told her. "Not very nice. Just something for my fingers to dance on."

"I like it," Nana replied, softly smiling.

My cheeks heated at the sight of her hard features showing delicacy. "AH!" I cried, uncomfortable. "Should we get started? I'll put on some music."

She went and sat down on my bed, digging into her bag and pulling out some books and crinkled paper.

I put in my Sex Pistols album. Obviously, she liked them too.

"Yeah," She grinned. "Damn, they rock."

I smiled at her. She had a pretty nice smile when she used it… though I still found it hard to place on her.

"Osaki, what class are you worst in?" I asked, sitting next to her and digging in my own bag.

"Well," She smirked. "There's not really a class I'm great in… I'm a C to D average student depending on my mood."

"Huh…" I said. Well, now what?

"English is my best subject," She said, her smile softening. "Let's do that first."

"Right," I replied.

Over the next hour, I found that Nana was exceptionally good at English, at least compared to me anyway, and she ended up helping me out. I asked her, "Why are you so good at this?"

She replied, "Because when I listen to English music, I want to know what I'm singing about. Don't you?"

"I usually just listen to the guitar," I replied, running a hand through my spikes of brown hair. "Do you sing, Osaki?"

"Just the way everyone else does," She responded, not smiling. "I sing when there's a song I like playing, and only loud enough for me to hear."

"Oh," I said. For a minute there I'd expected to hear something about her hobbies. Probably a foolish thing for me to do.

We worked on our homework until the sky was orange as the sun slipped away. It seemed that the whole time we worked on something, she was so damned sure that her way was the right one, and we argued constantly. By the time we had finished, she left without saying goodbye.

I fell back on my bed and stared at the ceiling, tired and frustrated, but done with my homework before nightfall. Osaki Nana… she was an enigma… She'd smile one minute, scowl the next, as if even she herself didn't know how she felt.

I sighed, closing my eyes.

My homework adventure from the night before left me weary, and I easily found myself falling asleep, mind still on the strange girl I'd spent the afternoon with. She had left me exhausted and aggravated, and it was my own fault because I just HAD to talk to her.

If curiosity killed the cat, I would surely be dead by midnight.