No one
Me: falling in love with my own character...
AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT Y'ALL ALWAYS MAKE [NAME] SO DAMN HOT KSGDJS!! UGH, SHE'S SO PRETTY!! LOOK AT HER!! THIS MASTERPIECE IS CRAFTED BY @Short King Queen And All In Between SO A ROUND OF APPLAUSE PLS!!
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You watched each and every shop with an excited gleem in your eyes. With every pretty thing you saw, you felt your excitement doubling.
As much as you were used to visiting the mall with Emma and Yuki, you never exactly tried any of the feminine stuff. This was finally your chance!! Peering at everything your eyes could take in, you looked around and felt your eyes widen when you felt someone place a hand on your shoulder.
Turning over, you saw your older brother grinning at you, "Let's start with checking out the stores, yeah? We'll buy whatever suits your taste!" He suggested and you nodded with a grin, eagerly following him like a lost puppy.
Even if you were following him, you suddenly had the urge to hold the sleeve of his jacket, which you did as you clung onto the fabric. Although [Brother Name] noticed your actions, he still kept his mouth shut as he tried to calm down himself. You were too cute!! Why are you still so adorable even after turning 15?! This wasn't fair!!
With a small smile playing on his lips, he led you both through the mall as you guys strolled around, peeking through each store that had anything remotely interesting. It wasn't until you saw a store that really suited your tastes, that your excitement finally spilled out of you and onto your pretty features.
Tugging at your brother's sleeve, you smiled when he turned back and pointed at the store, "Could we take a look in there?" You requested and he found himself agreeing almost instantly.
"Sure!"
And with that, you both walked in the store. Almost instantly, your eyes sparkled at the sight of numerous dresses for you to see. Your brother grinned a bit before ruffling your hair and telling you to take a look around as he did the same.
You nodded, suddenly a bit hesitant as you had no idea how you'd even select anything if you liked it. Didn't Emma and Yuki try out the dresses they planned on buying?! Can you really get in a dress that easily?! How do you even wear a dress?
You walked off, your thoughts overcooking your brain as you looked around like a lost child.
[Brother Name] himself, walked towards the area with shirts, tops and blouses. He tried to see if he could find something that would suit you, and lo and behold, he just hit jackpot.
At one of the corners of the shop was a rack filled with clothes he knew you'd love. They definitely matched your aesthetic and it seemed like they were in your favourite colours too.
With a small grin, he peered through the shirts, picking out the ones he would make you try out before buying them. Honestly, he wanted to buy you pretty much everything, but he was aware that he didn't have the money for it. Also, he didn't think you would appreciate him going overboard with everything.
While he scavenged for good shirts for you, he turned over to check up on you, and the sight was enough to cause him to stifle his laughter.
You looked around the clothes, with a confused look. Almost as if dots replaced your eyes, he swore he saw smoke coming out of your ears as you walked aimlessly through the shelves.
Placing down the two shirts he had picked out, he walked over and slung an arm around you, "Didn't find anything to your liking?" He grinned at you and you tilted your head in confusion, "I know I was excited... but I kinda forgot how Emma and Yuki bought their clothes... And it's been a while since I went shopping for my clothes... so, where should I even start? Do I get the ones I like? Or the ones that are on sale? What about my favorite colour? Or my size? If I like something and it's not my size, do I ask someone?"
You felt your head beginning to spin at the idea of so many things and suddenly, the urge to shop died down. Your brother frowned at how such a simple thing as buying clothes was difficult for you, but then again... judging by your wardrobe, it didn't seem like you went shopping that frequently.
And seeing as you were only allowed to wear clothes that were similar to something [Brother Name] would have worn, you gradually grew tired of shopping for clothes.
If you can't even wear what you like, then what's the point of any excitement?
With a small smile overtaking his previous frown, [Brother Name] tugged you over to the place where he got some shirt for you.
"Well, then! Let's start right now! I'll help you!" He put back the shirts he had found for you, thinking that this was a task that needed your opinion, and now pulled you over to his side.
He then pulled out each shirt individually, and showed you on the racks, while asking whether you liked it or not. If you did, then he would place it in your arms, and if you didn't, he'd push past it and went to the next shirt.
By the end of it, you had at least 6 shirts with you. With a small grin, you peered at the shirts as your brother ushered you to the dressing room, telling you to try them out so that you guys could further narrow down the list of shirts you were gonna buy. If all of them looked good on you, then you'd buy them all! Simple as that!
With a shy smile, you tried on the first blouse, and peered out the door of the dressing room as your brother was seated on one of the cushioned seats and was judging the dresses displayed at the side.
Clearing your throat allowed you to get your brother's attention as he turned his head to you, "Oh, come on out! Let's see how it looks!" You shot him a small grin before walking out while donning the blouse.
He tilted his head with an unreadable expression and placed a hand on his chin as he analyzed you. After a minute, you called out, "Uh, nii-san?" That pulled him out of his thoughts as he looked up and gave you a toothy grin, "This one is a definite need of yours! Let's get it!"
"But... how do I look?" He gave you a uncharacteristically kind smile, "You look like a true [Last Name]... In other words, you look really pretty!!" He cooed and turned his head away. You thought his actions were weird but shrugged your shoulders, "W-Why don't you try the next one? Let's see how that looks..." He crooned softly and you smiled before turning your back to him.
The minute you turned around and walked in the room again, [Brother Name] hung his head and pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes, letting his skin soak up the tears, "I'm such a shit brother... F-Fuck... She's all grown up, my baby sister.... And I wasn't even there... I feel like I don't deserve to be here right now, it should be that Sano, he was more of a brother to her that I was..."
His body shook while a small sob almost escaped his lips. God, he never thought that shopping for clothes would make him so emotional but after watching your reaction and seeing you finally dress like a girl made him realise that he was a practical stranger to you.
He didn't know what you liked, he didn't know what you hated or what kind of things you often wore. He knew nothing about you.
With slight sniffles still escaping his nose, he wiped his tears rather aggressively and cleaned up his appearance when he heard the dressing room lock open.
You peered out again to see your brother grinning softly at you, "Come on, kid! Let's see what looks good on you!!" And you walked out.
You were met with an excited grin when he saw how nice you looked, "This really suits you!! The colour goes well with your eyes too!" He complimented and added more, "-and the slight ruffles they added are also a nice flare! We should definitely get this one as well!! It would look really nice on a [contrast colour] skirt!" He encouraged and you felt a bit of your confidence increase.
"T-Thanks, Nii-san!! You too!" You said, and your brother stopped grinning for a moment, before sputtering out a laugh. Your face flared up in a bright red hue at your dumb response, but then again, you were a bit awkward when it came to responding to compliments.
"Shut up!! That was an accident!" You sneered but he continued to cackle at your idiotic reply, making you embarrassingly march back to the dressing room.
Even after you left, you could hear his loud hollers and laughs echoing through the small changing room section.
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By the time you guys got out of that store, you had already bought 5 of the 6 blouses, 3 new skirts, and 7 new dresses. You tried paying for them before your brother could, but the ominous glare he shot you as you pulled out your wallet made you stuff it back immediately.
He then nodded in approval as he continued to pay for your clothes. You could only sigh in embarrassment and shame as he payed for you. Since Shinichirō-niisan was almost always broke, whenever you guys went out to eat or anything, you guys would opt to split the bill. Even if Shinichirō-niisan sobbed that he did indeed have money, you could easily see the bare minimum of only a 1000 yen bill in his wallet.
"I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy the festival! It's gonna be fun!!" Your brothee admitted as you walked beside him while holding onto one of your bags in one hand while the other clung onto your brother's sleeve.
"You can even invite your friends!" He stated and you grinned at his statement, "Oh! Can I?" He nodded at your question, "Yeah! That tattooed kid from earlier seems nice, you should ring him up too!" At his statement, you couldn't help but grin, "Yeah! Ken's probably gonna enjoy it... Oh!! Can I bring Yuki, and Sora too?" You questioned and your brother nodded again with a smile.
"Ya know.. Now that I think about it, you've been mentioning this Yuki girl a lot... You must be good friends, huh?" He questioned and you frantically nodded.
"Yup! Yuki and I go way back! We met in preschool, and we kinda stuck together since!" You admitted while grinning softly as you recalled your memories.
"Oh! That's a really long time! How'd you meet?"
A grin encased your lips as you started, "Well, I met her back when she was first announced as a new student... but we didn't talk much... She was pretty famous in the class since not only was she new but she was also really talkative! But it wasn't until one day in art class that I really began talking to her-"
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You sat on your seat as usual, while the art teacher blabbered on and on about how fun of an activity you guys wee going to do today.
Something about drawing your family...
You really didn't care, because one; you didn't even have a complete family, and you didn't want to draw your 'mother' as your family. After all, family doesn't hurt you. And as far as your brother and father go, you can't even remember them that well...
With a sigh leaving you lips, you swung your legs aimlessly as all the kids got to work, many of them immersed in their artwork. With nothing else to do, you pulled out your pencil case from your bag, to take out a pencil.
The minute you took out the small pouch, your eyes caught sight of the small, resin Sailor Moon wand charm. You just got it yesterday when the oldest son of the dojo where you trained at, Sano Shinichirō-san bought some snacks for the kids. He gave you one too and you ended up getting a charm in your snack.
Even though you knew your mother would beat you up if she saw it, since it was girly, you still wanted to keep it. It made you feel happy and like you were a girl, not a boy like your mother wanted.
Taking out your pencil, you were about to zip it shut when one of the girls from your class approached you with a smile, "Hey, [Last Name]-kun!!" She spoke in her squeaky voice.
You smiled shakily at her, knowing that your mother warned you about not making friends with girls, "H-Hi..." You lowly whispered, shaking in fear while tugging on your sleeves unconsciously to cover the bandages wrapped around your arms.
"That's such a cute charm!! Where'd you get it?!" She said and you lowered your head, feeling a little happy that she commented something nice on your new charm, "Ah... i-it came from a snack..." You answered honestly and she pouted, "How come I never get the good ones?"
With a smile, you were about to console her when she turned to you with a hopeful smile, "Hey! [Last Name]-kun!! You're a boy, you know?! Boy's shouldn't have girly stuff like this!" She giggled while stretching out her palm, "Could you give it to me, please? I pinky promise I won't tell anyone that you had a girly charm! So no one will know that you like girly stuff!"
Her statement made your breathing hitch. To a normal child, this would have been embarrassing or annoying but you felt genuine fear. Did she find out that your mother hits you that's why she threatened you?! S-She must have known!! She will tell your mother and then she's gonna kill you!!
Your mother said it herself! If you break the rules then she's gonna kill you and throw your body in the basement!!
Without realising, tears began to pool in your eyes, making your lips quiver at the idea of being beaten to death, "N-No... Please no..." You croaked out, and the girl thought you were just too embarrassed, "Then please give it to me!!" She grinned at the thought of having that cute charm.
"Hey! Leave him alone or I'll tell teacher that you made him cry!" A voice ran in between you two and the girl looked surprised for a minute, "I'm not the one who made him cry!!" She defended while pouting, "He's just a crybaby who likes girly stuff!!"
You recognised who came to help you. It was Nakamura Yuki, the new girl in your class, "Huh?! Why did you say something so mean?! He can like whatever he wants, he doesn't need you to tell him what to like and what not to like!!" The albino sneered at the girl and the girl glared back, pouting before turning away and scurrying off to her friends.
"Why were you giving it to her? It's yours and yours only... Don't give it someone just because they asked, okay?" Yuki scolded you lightly before pulling out a handkerchief in her pocket and wiping your tears.
"B-But... it was girly... I'm... I'm not allowed to have girly things..." You admitted and Yuki frowned, "Who said that? I'm a girl myself but I like boyish things too! There's nothing wrong with it..." She reassured but you shook your head, "My mother... she doesn't like it when I have girly stuff..."
Your sentence made Yuki pout, "But... Who's to say this is girly and... cars and bikes aren't?! A girl can drive a car too! My mom drives too! That doesn't mean it's not girly of her! She's still... a girl!" You stared at the new girl in fascination as she continued to list everything that a girl and boy can do.
With a shy smile, you dipped your head and stared at your empty sheet of paper, nodding to let her know that you could hear her. But then, she stopped talking and looked at your blank sheet of paper and frowned.
"Ah, do you have any colour pencils for your drawing?" Yuki pestered and you silently shook your head. Color pencils were for kids who weren't serious about their future, as stated by your mother, she would much rather buy you an advanced scientific book than those useless stuff.
But Yuki never mocked you, "Really? Then, wait here!!" With that, she scurried off to her previous sitting place.
Gathering her colour pencils and her sheet of paper, she immediately waddled over to you, where you helped her with the stuff that she was holding, "Thanks! Here, now we can share my colour pencils! I'm sure teacher will love it if we coloured in our drawings!!"
You could only smile shyly at her as she began to work on her art piece. After two minutes, she noticed that you were still staring at your blank sheet of paper without picking up your pencil.
"Hmm? What's wrong, why haven't you drawn anything yet?" You frowned at her question and tried to think of something, "My family isn't... Um... I don't have my father or brother... And I don't know if my mother would like it if I drew her..." You whispered to her, realising that your mother didn't even think of you as her family. Would she even like it if you drew her? She would probably beat you up.
Yuki stared at you for a minute before grinning, "Then you can draw your own family!!" She stated and you felt your eyes widen, "M-My own family?!" You just told her that you didn't-
"Mhmm!! You can draw a beautiful princess who's gonna marry you, and you can also draw your daughter! Oh, a son too!! And a cute baby! How about a pet as well?!" She continued to list and you felt your mood worsening.
"I.... don't think that's gonna happen..." You uttered and she stopped with her ramblings. She tilted her head in confusion at your pessimistic ideals, "Why not?"
"My mother says that no one will want to marry me..." With slight tears pooling in your eyes, Yuki could feel her stomach churn.
She was starting to dislike your mother without even having met her, "Don't listen to her! I know she's your mother but that's wrong! You're really handsome! I'm sure everyone will love you!"
You stated at her with wide eyes as she continued, "And if you still doubt it, then how about this? I will marry you when I get older!!"
This time, her statement really did make you cry.
Yuki frantically tried to ask why you were crying but you smiled shakily at her, "T-Thank you... Thank you so much, Nakamura-san..." You sobbed quietly, not wanting the teacher to find out.
She stared at you in shock for a moment before smiling softly and pulling you into a hug, "There, there... My mama says that hugs always make you feel better! Do you feel better, [Last Name]-kun?"
You buried your head in her shoulder and nodded, "Yeah..." She was so warm.
When was the last time you felt this warm? Oh, right... It was when your father hugged you for the last time in the court.
"Say, Nakamura-san..." You started and she pulled away a bit, "Call me Yuki! We're friends now!!" She stated firmly and you smiled, a bit more livelier than before, "Okay, Yuki-san..." Your words made her smile brighten, "Then, can I call you [Male Name]-kun?"
You once again nodded at her question and she squealed happily, "Yay!! Now we're friends, [Male Name]-kun!! We're gonna have so much fun together!!" You could only smile at her excitement.
She was so warm and bright, just like the Sun. You felt as if you were the Moon, gaining light from the Sun and shining ever so lightly, all thanks to the light that the Sun shared with you.
"Yuki-san..." You called out and she hummed, "Here." You took off the charm from your pencil case and placed it gently into her hands, "For you. As a token of our friendship!" This time, it was you who cheered softly. A grin, soft and gentle, rested on your lips and Yuki couldn't help but blush shyly, "[M-Male Name]-kun!! I can't keep this!! This is yours!!"
"It was mine. Now I'm giving it you, so take care of it, okay?" You crooned and she felt tears well up in her eyes. Ever since she first came in this class, she would always see you sitting alone. She thought that maybe you were just a mean kid, that's why the others didn't play with you, but it was quite the contrary.
You were just too meek and quiet to play with anyone. You were probably the sweetest and kindest boy she had ever met. Even nicer than her papa. Ever since she saw how nice you were when you helped a kid in your class, she made a promise to herself that she'd befriend you, no matter what!
And now that you guys are friends, she'll be damned if she ever leaves you all alone. Even if this entire world is against you, she'd stay by you.
Until the end of times.
"T-Then!! Let's get ice cream after school!! It's my treat, [Male Name]-kun!!"