I tried to remain calm. Tried to keep my breathing even. Tried to smile away the tears. But they knew as well as I did that I was failing. Unfortunately, that was my life since I was six. Having two women for parents definitely resulted in constant jeering. There was no way out of it. I didn't blame the people for teasing me; I was an oddity, I was unusual, but most of all, I was their toy. I think the reason they got extra fun out of teasing me as a child was because of how much we all knew it hurt. Just insulting my adoptive parents wasn't enough to make me cry. After All, I had barely accepted them yet. What really got me was the fact that they were also reminding me that I didn't have biological parents anymore. For a five-year-old to go from having parents and a new baby sister to having new parents and no baby sister was a difficult enough transition. Those cruel children did not help in my first year of school. But I don't blame them. They were only doing what would make themselves feel better. And that's what I want. I want everyone to feel good, even if it means I'm sobbing on the floor until a teacher comes and helps.

Saaya Yamabuki was giggling with some of her friends over my outfit. This didn't bother me because I had really only thrown on the sweat-suit because of a lack of clean clothes. It wasn't until she murmured "Maybe her moms were too busy being lesbians to do the laundry" that I could feel rage building in my chest. I should have been angrier but she did murmur it with the intent of me not hearing, so at least she wasn't trying to be cruel. Besides, her parents lost their fortune in the stock-markets and she was practically poor. I felt bad for her, in reality.

"Saaya, would you please," I stressed the please, "not insult my parents?" Calm? Check. Even breathing? Check. Tears? I would have to see if I could keep my face clear of emotion until after her response.

"Oh silly, I wasn't insulting them. Just summing up the situation. Are you mad because I'm right?" She laughed and her friends all joined in. In truth, I was mad because she was right. My moms were out on date-night and I was busy doing homework so we didn't get any laundry done. We always do it together. It's sort of a way to bond over simple household chores.

"Yeah well, I'm still insulted." I responded almost silently. The tears were coming. It's not that I'm a cry-baby who can't help but bawl at every snide comment, it's just that now I was remembering some household chores I did with my parents. I would sweep the kitchen with my toy broom and dust with my blankie when my parents were too tired to clean. My biological parents. The ones who I would never see again. I turned on my heel to escape the painful memories but Saaya sucked me back in without even realizing it.

"There she goes. Probably off to cry in the library again. Or to go make-out with some random girl. Lesbians are so strange. Come on, girls! Let's go catch up with Tadase before class!" After I was out of their sight I slumped up against a wall and let out a heavy sigh. I wanted to pretend everything was okay and that my parents and sister were right next to me but I had never felt further from them before. I could hear my mother's stern words: "Amu, one day you're going to have to stand up for yourself and your beliefs. Don't let others knock you down! Be the strongest you that you can be! And remember, crying never solved any problems." These words seemed a bit over-the-top at the time (Who really tells that to a 4 year old who scraped her knee?) but, like the many things my parents told me, I always remembered them. I didn't remember any words from Ami, though. Maybe that's because I didn't know her past the age of two weeks.

"Excuse me?" A deep voice called out to me. I looked up to see a tall, blue-haired boy glancing down at me with suspicion. I blinked a few times before I realized he was talking to me. His features were striking and he had a mysterious air about him. I couldn't see why he'd even bother acknowledging me.

"Um, yes?" I squeaked. It wasn't that I was in love with him, or even had a crush for that matter. I was just feeling slightly intimidated.

"That's... my locker." He said plainly. I could tell he was trying to find a way to word it without seeming rude or aggressive. Apparently I looked as sad and pathetic as I felt. After taking a few moments to realize what he was saying, I quickly pulled myself away from him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just... yeah. Okay, bye." I muttered and sprinted away. His eyes were so inquisitive. There was something about him that made you think he wanted to know you but didn't want you to know him. I could tell he was watching me walk away with possibly an amused or confused expression but I didn't really care. The only thing that I cared about was getting through the rest of my day.

School was tedious and slow. Go to classes, eat, pretend to socialize... it was exhausting. Being in 10th grade at Seiyo Public School was not very fun either. After 6th grade my moms decided to transfer me from Seiyo Academy. My constant crying after school must have been their motivation. Here I don't get teased quite as much. The occasional rude comment and alienation from groups was all I really had to deal with here. I didn't see Saaya or the blue-haired kid again but that wasn't exactly a bad thing. I'll admit, though, that I feel bad I didn't get the boy's name. I decided to call him Lee in my mind.

"I'm home!" I called after arriving at my family's tiny apartment. It was cramped and a bit uncomfortable but it had been my home for eleven years so I wasn't about to complain.

"How was your day, dear?" Asa asked as she flipped through the newspaper. She must have just gotten home from work and wanted to read it because she couldn't in the mornings.

"Um... uneventful." I replied, hoping it would keep her from asking more. I was mistaken.

"Meet any nice boys?" She said casually. Personally, I think Asa would be thrilled if I was a lesbian like her, but I had never really shown my orientation. Never once had I been interested in a boy, except for a slight crush on Tadase Hotori in ninth grade, and I hadn't told her about it. She just assumed I was interested in boys because she didn't really know what to expect.

"I met a boy. Can't say if he was nice or not 'cause I really don't know. I sped off before I could find out." I always revealed too much to her. She was so kind and honest to me that I wanted to be the same to her. She shot me a concerned look.

"Now why'd you do that? You might have had something in common with him. I'm still open to chaperoning your dates. Miya never would. She'd probably shoot the gentleman caller with the hose." Ah yes, my other mom who absolutely hated the idea of me dating. It wasn't just dating that bothered her, though. It was more the idea of me dating boys. If I brought a girl home, I think she'd be a bit more lenient. Boys were a mystery to her. A mystery that she didn't dare trust. I blame her upbringing for that opinion.

"I had a lot on my mind..." I answered, which translated into "I was thinking about my parents." Asa came up and wrapped her slender arms around me.

"I know, sweety. I know. But it's going to be all right. Go on upstairs and start your homework, okay?" She whispered, gently stroking my hair. I nodded and trotted up the stairs. The homework was a breeze and in no time I was finished. My stomach growled and I decided to find out when dinner was.

"Mooooom!" I called.

"Yes?" Two responses. I always forget that'll happen if I don't specify.

"When's dinner?"

"Forty-five minutes!" Two responses again. That time I was definitely not expecting it. Forty-five minutes to blow? That was an easy one. Time to paint!

My addiction to art started when I was seven. Asa took me to a therapist when the kids wouldn't stop teasing me at school and I refused to eat anything. The lady had me paint a lot of pictures and asked me a lot of questions but I didn't have a problem with it. I sort of just went with it. Before I knew it, Asa and Miya were encouraging me to do anything artistic. Painting, drawing, photography. If it was considered art, I tried it. It took me a few years to figure out that the therapist had suggested I have a way to express myself and release frustration. I guess art fit the ticket.

My egg-shell colored walls were covered in paintings. I couldn't bare allowing them to remain white so I set to work. Painting slowly became my stress-release. Bad day at school? Paint something violent and angry. And that was exactly my plan. Except, this time, I'd go at it a little bit unorthodoxly. In other words, I painted an exact replica of Saaya's head and stabbed it with my paint-brush. Repeatedly. It felt good to allow my frustration to flow out but, at the same time, it felt wrong. I sighed and realized that I needed to handle things differently.

I could go confront Saaya... I considered it dreamily. I would go to Saaya and tell her that I wasn't really sure of my sexual orientation. I had never actually had feelings for anyone before so I wouldn't know. I would then tell her not to insult my parents because it's rude and unbecoming of a rich girl. That would make her angry, seeing as she's not rich anymore, and I would come out on top. Well... maybe that plan could work with some revising. I decided and scurried down the stairs to tell my moms I was going out. What I found would probably have disgusted the average person, but to me, it was perfectly normal. As normal as it might be to find a mail-man at your mailbox, or a ballerina at a dance studio. I found Asa and Miya kissing on the couch. Asa's auburn hair was tucked neatly behind her ears, probably by Miya, and Miya's short, rugged black hair was in a messy pony-tail. It was not unusual in any way, I had seen them kiss many times before, but for some reason I felt as though it was wrong. But that feeling didn't really make sense to me, so I dismissed it.

"I'm off to... who knows. Try not to get pregnant while I'm gone!" I called out as I opened the front door. They laughed at my stupid joke and I felt good. Why? Because their laughs always made me feel good. It took me a few minutes to arrive on Saaya's road. I only knew where she lived because once, on my way home from school, her and her friends had followed me. They laughed at me and called me horrible names until they arrived at her house. Her friends followed her inside and I continued home, holding back tears.

I was just two houses from hers when a loud thud brought my attention to the opposite side of the street. An angry looking boy stormed out of the house with a shattered bottle in his hands. He carefully tossed it into the trash bag on the other side of the house and sat down in the grass. I paused, unsure of what to do. It was Lee, after all. This was my chance to say hello. To be social. But I was too timid to say anything, so I kept walking.

"Hey! H-hey, you!" A voice called anyways. I recognized it immediately, although because he was yelling, it was a bit higher pitched. I turned to him and gave him a confused look. He didn't waste any time in running over to me.

"Hey uh... this fell out of your back pocket when we met at my... locker." He explained as he held a shiny button out in my hand.

"And you kept it to give it back?" I asked in disbelief. I mean, really, who saves a button?

"Well I know my sister would have an absolute fit if she lost a button. I guess I figured you were the same." Now it seemed as though he was talking more to himself than me.

"I'm not like your sister," I replied and began walking away. Conversing with someone for so long without being teased was unusual for me. In a way, I was in foreign territory.

"Where are you going?" He questioned. Apparently I had piqued his curiosity.

"If you must know..." I began, hesitant to inform him of my plans, "I'm going to go talk to Saaya Yamabuki." He appeared uncomfortable at the mention of the name.

"You mean the girl who's constantly flirting with me?" I nodded my affirmation, though I really could only guess we were talking about the same girl. Suddenly his face became very solemn. "You're going to confront her, aren't you?" I'll admit, I was slightly taken aback. The fact that someone noticed I was constantly being jeered at by the same girl was surprising. After all, I had never met this boy before in my life, and yet he knew this about me.

"Yes," I finally answered. He looked at me sternly.

"I get that you're upset. When someone is constantly teasing you about things that aren't in your control you can get frustrated. But Saaya is a thick-headed snob and she's just going to twist your words and mess with you more. My advice? Don't go talk to her." This boy... he was able to shock me in so many ways. He had seen the things she did to me although I did not see him. He acted as though he was my older brother and was just looking out for me. As if he was emotionally attached to me despite the fact that we had just met.

"How did you know about Saaya and her friends?"

"It's not a secret. She runs around the school telling everyone about how your moms are lesbians and you're a lesbian who sleeps with girls all the time. She says you tried to get with her and when she rejected you, you got violent and almost went to jail. Most of us know she's full of it, but with the way she tells the stories, it's easy to get lost in the lies." If I looked shocked before, I must have looked like I was about to have a heart-attack. All the color drained from my face and I nearly fell over.

"But that's... those are lies..." I whispered. He did not make any attempts to console me.

"I know," He said, though I could tell he wasn't completely sure if they were lies or not. I was too shocked to speak anymore so I began walking again. I didn't want to be near this boy, though that was unfair. I knew the phrase 'don't shoot the messenger' well, but I still couldn't bring myself to forgive the bringer-of-bad-news. "Wait! I... I never gave you my name."

I wasn't sure how to react. This boy was the kind of person who never really spoke to strangers. He didn't like involving others in his life (which I presumed was complicated) and he certainly never went out of his way to converse with people. So why was he talking like this to me of all people? I turned and looked at him expectantly.

"It's Ikuto," He said. The name seemed so much better than Lee. He looked like an Ikuto, too. There was a tentative smile on his face which I returned. I had just begun my first real friendship.