Reverse!¡! || Book One

Prologue

"Pretty."

Yuki Kobayashi was five years old when she realized that she wasn't "pretty".

In America, Yuki was like everyone else in her preschool. She woke up for school every morning, brushed her teeth. Her mother held her hand to class, her friends played pretend with her. Her teachers cleaned after her messes and chastised her for her misgivings.

Unique qualities were normal in the place she grew up. Yuki didn't know what divided her from her peers. They were all friends. They all shared a nose, a heart, a voice. Of course, comfort stemmed from familiarity, but everyone knew of everyone's differences and felt nothing about it.

Not until she went to an island called Japan did she realize she was "different". Different enough to not fit in with her neighbors. Alien enough to misunderstand the distinction between "Kaa-san" and "Tou-san".

Years in advance, her father helped adapt her to the culture and language. Being half Japanese, Yuki always had his influence. He regularly spoke to Yuki in a mixed dialect, correcting her when she stuttered or when she had a phrase out of place.

At six, her parents took the first step and moved to the island with her.

Yuki was excited at first, having heard of the beautiful cherry blossom trees and the cute dresses. She had no reason to feel nervous and no reason to doubt her parent's decisions. But as soon as they moved their tiny home in Japan, everything Yuki expected went flying out the window.

When meeting her neighbors, Yuki hoped for a quick exchange. Instead, her appearance often struck interest in the hearts of the adults that lived nearby.

"What pretty eyes," they would exclaim.

"Wow. Her eyes remind me of a doll!"

"How cute!"

Yuki often hid behind her parents, taken aback by how they reached for her hair, asking if she could look at them. The adults in America never asked to do such things. Much less asked if she was a model.

"She'll be so beautiful when she's older."

"The uniforms will suit her."

"... T-Thank you," Yuki murmured shyly from her mother's hip.

Yes- The first few weeks started off with unwanted attention. Yuki felt grateful that her neighbors had taken an interest in her. Maybe a bit proud of her own unique appearance.

Yet on the first day of elementary school, Yuki realized her individuality was her own target.

"Why do your eyes look so mushy?"

Yuki blinked in surprise because honestly, what a silly thing to ask. Yuki's learned early in life that each child was different. Surely, these children could learn the same.

She leaned forward to speak with a smile, her voice dying in her throat once another child stepped into the group.

"A foreigner...?" a classmate chimed

"Teacher says she doesn't speak like us."

Hands in the sand, Yuki turned in her spot, quickly surrounded by children with dark hair and eyes. Each one peered above her, but Yuki bit down the nervousness in her gut and sat silently.

"You look nothing like us," one of them murmured.

Giggling, a child with brown eyes nudged another classmate, pulling their eyelids.

"Her eyes are so big!"

"How ugly!"

At five, Yuki discovered she was "ugly". And a week into her new school, her peers excluded her from playtime.

They threw dirt at her face and made fun of her eyes. They spoke about birthday parties and teased that she wouldn't be invited. They joked about smearing dog poo on her hair and how it wouldn't make much of a difference.

But one day, she met her.

     And she sparked a flame in her heart.

It was a sunny afternoon when her classmates picked on her new dress.

Her teacher was nowhere in sight, possibly entertaining all the other children nearby. Yuki, on the other hand, was trapped against a thorny bush, the edges prickling at her legs.

"Green? What an icky color."

"That's a booooy color!"

As they snagged at her dress and loomed above her, all Yuki could do was hold back the tears, for fear they would tease her for that too.

But then-

Yuki found herself staring at a scuffle between a classmate and a stranger. Between the boy who terrorized her and a girl with pigtails.

Tiny fists met with hands of alarmed surrender. A pink jean-dress sullied against the ground, small legs kicking. As the figures struggled, Yuki heard the rough drag of dirt and the screams of the children around them.

"Run!" screamed her classmates. "It's the wizard's sister!"

Her classmates gathered and ran, throwing sticks while taunting them. The blond girl with pigtails, however, balled her little fists as Yuki's classmates ran away.

"Yeah! You better run!" the girl screamed. She stuck out her tongue and spat raspberries. "Bleeeeh!"

The scurrying footsteps died, a deep red pooling down the sky as the sun settled.

Panting, the young girl's feet kicked against the dirt, her act of toughness urging Yuki backward. Yuki never met a girl who could beat up a boy. Or anyone who had the courage to intervene.

Just as the silence settled between them, the girl made her move.

The girl sniffled, rubbed her nose against her sleeve, and faced Yuki. "Are you okay?"

She extended her hand, the first act of kindness Yuki received in months. Yuki took it and nodded shyly, her eyes falling to the ground in shame. Instead of a jab, the girl beamed, revealing a row of missing teeth.

"That's good! My name's Chiyo!" she exclaimed.

Yuki curtly bowed, embarrassed that she had forgotten to do something so simple. "Y-Yuki."

Chiyo giggled. "Why are you so shy for?"

Chiyo slapped Yuki's back, prompting a small "ouch" from the brunette.

"Don't worry about them, okay?"

I'll protect you.

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Words: 980