Ritsu-Hero of Gaysville

Intro pt 2

Ritsu's father looked up when he heard the dirt crunching under someone's shoe. He saw his husband stomp by into the house, slamming the door after him.

He had a hopeful smile when he saw Ritsu and his own father walk through the gate but immediately dropped it when he saw the devastated look on his son's face.

Ritsu pushed away from his grandfather and pulled An along to her stable. She nudged him and licked his hand, attempting to cheer him up. He gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry An…I'm okay…I…I just need a bit of time alone."

He strided away from the stable to a pathway made of stone that carved into a lush garden. He walked along the path, admiring the plantlife silently.

He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it. He had to let his feelings out in song.

"Look at me ... I will never pass for a perfect bride
Or a perfect son
Can it be?
I'm not meant to play this part?"

His beautiful and serene voice rang through the garden, even songbirds stopped to hear his spot on princess singing voice. He looked over to the window of his house, seeing the silhouettes of his parents arguing.

"Now I see
That if I were truly to be myself
I would break my family's heart."

He pushed his sleeve back and placed his palm against a long leafy plant. The cricket crawled onto it and looked at the uke sadly. Ritsu found himself at the shrine his father had been in previously and looked into the polished stone.

"Who is that uke I see
Staring straight back at me
Why is my reflection someone I don't know"

He pulled the comb from his hair, letting the now loose strands drape down his back.

"Somehow I cannot hide
Who I am, though I've tried
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
When will my reflection show
Who I am, inside?"

He exited with a sigh and sat down on a handmade wooden bench hanging from a large cherry blossom tree.

His father met him there a few minutes later, sitting down next to the curled up ball that he called his son.

He peered up at the tree who's flowers swayed in the wind, loose ones gently floating down to the ground.

His father placed a hand on Ritsu's leg. "Y'know, these blossoms sure are beautiful. But look." He pointed to a tightly closed bud. "That one's late." He smiled at Ritsu. "I bet when it blooms it'll be the most beautiful of all."

"Or it'll rot and fall to the ground before it even opens one petal."

The elder Onodera sighed. "Ritsu, I know it's hard sometimes, especially with how your mother is, but I know you'll one day continue the legacy of the Onoderas-"

"What if I don't want to!?"

His father was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

The uke unfurled from his ball and glared at his father with determined eyes. "What if I want to have my own life!? What if I want to be able to do something for myself rather than rely on my family name!? What if I don't want to act like someone I'm not!? I can't! All because I'm the heir! It's like…it's like no one even cares about me! All they care about is my position in my family name rather than me myself. If I wasn't an Onodera, would anyone even care about me..…"

His father frowned. "Ritsu…I-"

Drums sounded from the distance.

His father shot up and turned to Ritsu, "Stay here. I'll go look." then walked towards the gate.