Matters of Perspective
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Negima!, nor do I own the lovely Chao-lin-chan. This oneshot was partially inspired by Utada Hikaru-sama's song Fight the Blues, and I don't own that, either. I just own this idea, really, so don't take it please!
"All right, everyone—we've only got the bath wing for the next hour, so don't take too long, everyone," Yukihiro was saying in the background, clapping her hands sharply to make the other girls pay attention. "We don't want to hold up the schedule for the other classes, now."
"Yeah, yeah, we hear you, stupid class rep," came Kagurazaka's annoyed voice from further off, and an equally irritated but less audible snapped reply from Yukihiro. Chao tuned them out, too used to their bickering after two years to really be interested.
"Just an hour tonight…" one of the other girls complained as there was a great rustle of clothes being cast off. "And after gym class and my basketball practice, too! How're we supposed to get really clean like this? I wanted time to wash my hair and really use some NuruNuru X, too…"
"Ugh, and here I thought you'd learned better than to use that stupid Slime X after last time, too, Yuna!"
With a sigh, Chao unbuttoned her blazer and took off her shoes, placing them in one of the lockers. This was ordinary, everyday banter, too.
"I've been meaning to go out and buy a new swimsuit lately, but…" A sigh. Chao recognized Izumi's voice, and half-listened as she continued to place clothes in her locker. "Lately, the trends have just been getting unbelievable. I mean, all those tiny little bikinis!"
"Yeah, just how many girls are really thin enough and have the boobs to pull those things off?" Akashi again; she got the laughter she was looking for.
"And not even that, but… y'know, my old swimsuit is getting too small, and… it's gonna be hard to find a new one that can cover my back…" Izumi muttered, sounding a little nervous.
This was enough to make Chao pause and straighten up, peeking over her shoulder a little to where Ako and the other athletic girls were bunched up.
"Aww, don't worry about it," Sasaki said cheerfully, slapping Izumi on the shoulder. "I'm sure we can find something somewhere! C'mon, let's go get some towels and go."
As they headed out towards the baths, Chao briefly glimpsed the dark line across Izumi's back and narrowed her eyes, turning around. Even though she prided herself on her composure, she still had to take a deep breath to still her hands before she undid the tight buns of her hair and started on her braids.
How is it that these girls manage to worry so much about something as minor as that? she wondered, fighting the urge to trace the thick marks that tingled just beneath her skin, where mundane eyes couldn't see them. Their weight, little differences in their appearances… scars that should be proof of one's survival, instead of something to hide and be ashamed of… these ordinary girls with their ordinary troubles… I have no idea whether I should pity them, despise them, or envy them for how important those things seem to them.
What would Izumi, so shy about her scar, say if she ever learned about what Chao really was beneath the façade she wore to conceal herself? And Sakurazaki, so convinced that the wings she'd been born with were ugly—what would Chao seem to people like them?
Some people would give anything for wings and the chance to fly. Some girls would be proud to know they escaped a serious incident with their lives. It depends completely on the eye of the beholder what beauty and ugliness are. I'm sure there are many people out there who would find Izumi Ako and Sakurazaki Setsuna to be beautiful for what they themselves think are flaws in themselves.
Chao shook out her long black hair and closed her locker.
And some of us? Some of us would be happy with abnormalities like those, instead of…
"What wrong, Chao?" The cheerful inquisition came with a finger in the middle of Chao's lower back that made her jump and give a very undignified squeak.
"Hwah—Ku?"
The other girl's big, guileless green eyes were filled with confusion and a little concern as she held out a towel to her friend. "I no can surprise you, usually. This not like you!"
"I was just thinking, I guess." Scratching her head, Chao accepted the towel and tucked it under her arm.
"What about, then?" Ku pressed, poking Chao's shoulder.
"…That things can really seem stupid and insignificant if we put them in perspective," she answered at length.
And if I apply that to myself… well, isn't this what I came all this way for? So it can't happen to anyone, ever again… There are a lot of people who'd give everything for the chance to make it all just disappear, too…
"Huh?" Ku seemed utterly baffled.
Chao smiled and shook her head. "Nevermind. Come on—we'd better get moving if we want to get a bath at all today."
Owari.