will the real anime protagonist please stand up

[protagchan]

[ ah, it's sunny out...

you know, as i get older i realize the days just start to blur together. i can't really tell one day from the next 'cause it's all the same to me. i do the same things over and over again that everything i do has lost meaning to it.

i wake up, i eat breakfast, i go to school, come home from school, sit around and play some games while i do my homework, eat dinner somewhere along the way and i go to sleep.

and then it repeats, just like that, every day. and it's been like this for, what, i dunno -- half of my life? and then this is just going to keep on going for... however long i'm alive for. it's really boring, isn't it? living that kind of life.

which is why, right at this moment, i sigh heavily. before me stands perhaps the greatest obstacle of my day: a hill that i must climb in order to reach the school campus.

ugh, anything but this...

it's true, this route could easily be avoided -- if i wake up early enough, i could take the longer way around, or if i had a bicycle i could just bike my way up the hill, or if i had friends who lived in my neighborhood, they could walk up with me and it wouldn't be so boring.

except it's all too much trouble and i'd rather not waste my time. it's going to be more work to figure out an alternative. best not to prolong the inevitable, either -- i'm going to have to climb this hill for the next two years of my life anyway.

it's way too early for this.

i take my first step -- left foot first -- and just as my foot is about to hit the ground, my right foot just about to push off to take the next step, something odd happens. it takes me by surprise and i stumble, losing my balance after not even one single step and i fall to the ground, my ass meeting the pavement that i would have been treading along had things... gone to plan, i guess.

something rustles from the bushes to my right, and within a moment's notice something i've never seen before comes out from it. a dark puddle or blob or something moves to the left, a little, then to the right. it stops, moves forward and then moves back... and looks right at me.

-- panic settles in --

what the hell is going on right now? why is it looking at me? shit --

why is this happening to me? ]

Comments

[protagchan]

No one makes pie at my place, we just get it from the store and we eat it. I don't think I've ever actually done anything like... jack-o'-lanterns before either.

My family is pretty boring, in other words.

[ Shiro follows her into the kitchen, eyes the slices of pie on their plates. She stops by the fridge to grab some ice cream. ]

You want ice cream with your pie?

[quasimediocre]

Well, jack-o'-lanterns are more of an American thing, aren't they? But I get your point.

Oh, and I'm good, thanks. I honestly don't eat ice cream that much, it always kinda gives me a headache.

[Kyouko sets Shiro's plate to the side - so Shiro can put ice cream on it and all - then grabs her own, grabs a fork and takes a bite of the pie.

It's pretty good, by her own estimation, but she isn't exactly an unbiased judge.]

My family... uh. Well, as you can see, I live by myself. My old man and I were pretty close, but... he died, and my mom got remarried, and her and I were never that close, and I barely even know the guy she married. It's easier for everyone if I just live by myself.

[She thumbs some crumbs away from her mouth.]

I mean, I love my mom, but. We're kinda in two separate worlds. Believe it or not, she's pretty... [Kyouko mimes waving a fan in her face.] Ohoho, a proper lady must be noble and diligent at all times.

[Kyouko snaps the nonexistant fan shut.]

Like that.

[protagchan]

Right -- your dad was foreign. I guess you know a little more about American cultures than I do.

Jack-o'-lanterns are just pumpkins with carvings in 'em, right? Doesn't sound too hard.

If you want, we could carve a few together.

[ Shiro dumps a scoop of vanilla ice cream onto her plate, stores the tub away and sits down across from Kyouko. She takes a bite of the pie...

and she's smiling ]

This is really good.

[ Though that smile kind of goes away slowly as Kyouko talks a little more.

Shiro thoughtfully takes another bite, chews slowly and swallows before she answers again ]

It must be lonely though, huh?

[quasimediocre]

Yeah, you spoon out all the pulp and stuff inside, then you carve a little face into them, then you stick a candle inside. That way it looks like it's got a glowing face. They're pretty spooky when you're like five and don't know the trick to them.

[... Kyouko grins at the compliment.]

Thanks. And, uh, nah. I got you, n' all. And sometimes my mom makes a point of getting involved for a couple of days. I think she wishes we were closer.

[...]

I kinda wish we were closer, too, but. Iunno. There's kind of a dad-shaped elephant whenever we talk.

[protagchan]

Oh, that sounds really... Work intensive. [ She glances at her own arms ] Feels like my arms a little too lanky for that.

[ Shiro breaks off a piece of the pie, gets a little ice cream on the fork and holds it up to Kyouko's mouth ]

Doesn't having that dad-shaped elephant there just mean there's more reason to sit down and talk with her?

[quasimediocre]

Well, you'll build up some muscle.

[Kyouko grins, leans forward, and chomps down on the icecream. This is. This is really fluffy, and she isn't quite thinking about how fluffy it is. She'd probably be blushing if she was.]

Thanks. [She leans further in, since she's already halfway there anyway, kisses Shiro's cheek.

And then she's back to normal, picking at her pie.]

I, uh, guess, but iunno. Whenever we try to talk, we always wind up yelling at each other. ... She was really happy to have a daughter, but I'm... basically a guy, aren't I? [Kyouko laughs, a little bitterly.]

And I know she loves me, and she loved dad, but she got remarried and had a kid with the new guy really quickly... [...]

Feels kinda like me and my old man got replaced.

[protagchan]

"Basically a guy?"

[ She sets her fork down, looks at her seriously ]

Do you want to be considered a guy or not? I mean, you've always been boyish but I still think of you as a girl. You're really cute, Kyouko.

But something like that is up to you, you know?

Maybe you did get replaced, but if she's really wants to get things together again with you then maybe she hasn't? Maybe it's just hard for her to express herself, the same way it's hard for you to.

[quasimediocre]

... Iunno. [Kyouko mumbles. Being a girl is. Cool? But being a guy would be nice.

She doesn't know. She's a girl, obviously, at least in terms of having a vagina and shit, but she's - she's stuck in this weird inbetween place.]

I just meant that I'm a tomboy, anyway. My mom's always been kinda traditional, like I said...

[Kyouko chews thoughtfully on a tiny bit of pie.]

... Yeah, maybe. Maybe we both need to cut each other a little bit more slack. [Hm.]

... See what I mean about you being way more together?

[protagchan]

Then being a tomboy is fine, right? Actually, if you asked me, I wouldn't consider it being a tomboy so much as it is...

being you, you know? [ Shiro takes a thoughtful bite of her pie, licks the ice cream off of her spoon. ]

I don't see what you mean at all. [ She puffs her cheeks out ] I'm just -- I'm just giving my two cents.

[quasimediocre]

Pff.

[Kyouko leans over and pinches Shiro's cheek. It's easy to, since it's all puffy.]

Still, that isn't something I woulda thought of. It probably sounds stupid when I say it, but... my mom's always seemed like she's never worried about anything in her life.

But when you put it like that, maybe she is worried. I mean, I'm not really the type to be all open about my feelings and shit - maybe I get it from her.

So thanks. [...]

Ah, I should introduce you to her sometime. Maybe, uh, not with the 'this is my girlfriend' part... we can cross that bridge a little later.

[protagchan]

Hey, let go--

[ Shiro huffs, pulls herself away from Kyouko and just. She stuffs her mouth with a bigger piece of pie.

Then she takes a big breath. ]

Call me crazy but --

let's arrange to meet with your mom, Kyouko.

[quasimediocre]

Yeah, yeah, sure.

[Kyouko grins.]

I know I spent all this time saying how I can't handle talking to her, but-

She's a nice lady. Oh! And my little sis! Well, half-sis. But still, you need to meet her too, she's, uhm.

[Kyouko reaches into her pants pocket for her wallet, fishes out a picture of her with a little girl. The little girl's riding on her back, of course, and they're both giving a V-sign to the camera.]

Her name's Momo. She's cute, isn't she?

[protagchan]

Ah, she's cute.

[ Shiro looks a little closer at the picture, then she looks back up at Kyouko.

Then Shiro gets... really, really, really up close to Kyouko's face. ]

Even though you have different dads, you both have your mother's eyes, I think. Because her eyes are like yours.

[quasimediocre]

[Kyouko... blinks. Then looks away.]

Uh, thanks. Sometimes I feel like I'm... not really her sister, y'know? I mean, I love her, but it's not like I'm there with her. And we have different dads. And, y'know, she's 100% Japanese while I'm half-and-half.

[protagchan]

But both of you are really cute. Momo-chan looks like she really looks up to you.

[ Shiro reaches up, pats Kyouko's head. ]

Be a good sister. Go meet your mother and settle things with her.

[quasimediocre]

[Kyouko huffs and pouts, reaches up to yank Shiro's hand off of her.]

Don't pat me like that, geez. I'm the one who's supposed to be patting you.

[... Sniff. Oh, goddammit, not again. Kyouko sets her plate aside, uses the collar of her shirt to quickly dry her eyes. Please don't let Shiro have seen that...]

I will, I will. Her birthday's in a few days - Mom's, that is - I'll do it then, okay? It'll give me a few days to think of a plan of attack, and maybe getting her a present will break the ice a little.

[protagchan]

Hehe. Doesn't mean it'll stop me.

[ Shiro grins lopsidedly then laughs a little.

She moves over to hug her, nuzzles her face against the side of Kyouko's head. ]

I'm here if you need any help with this, 'kay?

Now, you done or what? We should clean up and we can spend the rest of the night however you want. I don't have to be back for a while.

[quasimediocre]

Yeah, yeah.

Ah, yeah, I finished eating. Uh, you done too? I can clean the plates and then we can.

[...]

'Spend the rest of the night however we want,' huh? You got kinda perverted when I wasn't looking. [Kyouko flicks her on the forehead.]

[protagchan]

Hey, I didn't mean it like that, you dummy.

[ Shiro reaches up to flick her back.

Jeez, Kyouko. ]

Mm, yeah, I'm done. It was good pie -- let me take some home later?

[quasimediocre]

Sure, sure. I got plenty. Give it to your folks or something.

[Kyouko... returns the flick. Then another, for good luck.]

Then how'd you mean, it, huh?

[protagchan]

We could watch a movie or something.

[ She eyes her suspiciously ]

What were you thinking?

[quasimediocre]

... Uh.

[Kyouko scratches her cheek.]

We could.

... Y'know, Shiro, you look really cute today.

[protagchan]

Oh no.

Ohhhhh no. No. Kyouko, we're not doing that today--

[quasimediocre]

Huh? Why not?

We don't have to do it right now, or nothin'...

[protagchan]

Besides, I'm not even wearing anything that's remotely cute.

[ She pulls away from Kyouko, whisks the dishes away to wash them ]

Get back to work, dummy!