Note: A 'challenge' fic from LJ. Given theme: "Momiji", written at 3am in about 30 minutes ;; (wasn't a timed prompt). So please excuse any OOCness or typos. Written particularly because some of these boys don't get enough attention. Takes place about half a year before they get sucked into Kyou. Written as if Shimon was writing into a journal. Was supposed to include romance elements, but I didn't get very far with that. sweatdrop

Takes place before they are swept up into Heian-Kyou.

It's been about six months now since Akane-chan found me. I'll never forget that day. It was right after school had started again for the year, in

April. I was tired of being picked on, but my looks aren't changing... how am I supposed to expect everyone else to change too?
I was happy to finally meet Tenma-sempai this year too! We were lucky to be saved by him from those bullies, too. He watches over both of us. I think he likes Akane-chan, it's pretty obvious. I think they make a cute couple.

Now it's October, and the maple leaves are turning all pretty colors. I'm still amazed that Akane-chan and Tenma-sempai are still there supporting me. I love it when it's the three of us together, I'm finally with people who can accept me for who I am. I'm so excited to think that next year I'll be at the same school with them!

I think I have a confession to make. I feel bad for having them as friends. Akane-chan would have gotten really hurt that day if Tenma-sempai hadn't shown up. I feel like I'm tricking them into being my friends.

I was thinking about something today, the maple leaves. They really are very pretty. But I started to feel bad for them. They drop from the trees, they get swept up, people like to play with them and smash them. I kind of feel the same way, that people enjoy picking on me, and I'm so easy to pick upon that I just get swept up like the leaves and let people do that to me.

I wish I were stronger.

Today the three of us went to the park, and Akane-chan tried drawing one of the leaves in a sketch pad because she thought they were really pretty too. Hehe, it wasn't very good. I didn't say so, but Tenma-sempai did. I laughed as she made faces at Tenma-sempai, and he bonked her on the head.

Sometimes I feel left out.

I feel left out a lot, even when it's the three of us. Maybe because they seem like they are together, or maybe it's because I never really had anyone my own age to play with. But I think it's something else, too.

I really like Akane-chan.

She's always so happy, and that makes me happy too. She's always nice to everyone and even though she's kind of slow sometimes, she never gets really mad at anybody. She was the first person who was nice to me and tried to talk to me like I was normal. Ever. I want to be the kind of person she can depend on... but I'm the one who always seems to be depending on Tenma-sempai and Akane-chan.
I think it's kind of sad to be a maple leaf. But maybe if you are appreciated for what you are, by someone like Akane-chan, it makes everything better.

Maybe one day I'll be able to support Akane-chan, when I'm bigger and stronger like Tenma-sempai. Maybe I'll even be able to protect both of them! Something so big, something that can help everyone, like the earth underneath us.

I hope someday things will begin to change, changing colors like the leaves, changing so that someday I can tell Akane-chan "I'll protect you!" and mean it, so that someday... I can tell Akane-chan that I love her.