Before you read: Though it is only a suggestion, I believe you will be able to understand the story more if you knew about the area of Harajuku and it's culture there. Specifically the youth that meets there and wears different styles of clothing.
Terms to know: lolita, visual kei, gyaru. If you are not interested in the Japanese fashion or music scene, or don't know anything about it, this story will be extremely difficult for you to understand.
Feel free to PM me with any questions. Enjoy Reading!
Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters used in this story do not belong to me. The song used also belongs to 香奈-MOON-kana.
Enter: The Lolita Handbook
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(Chapter 1)
(Of Meet-Ups)
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WELCOME!
Of Jumper Skirts, Tea Parties, and Lace
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[Lolita]
I'm alone
the truth is
I want to say it
A frilly skirt
I miss you
I miss you
[香奈-MOON-kana]
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She was standing there. Just standing, waiting at Meiji- Jingumae Station for the Chiyoda line to arrive. She was a Shibuya girl after all.
Though she could easily walk to Harajuku, she preferred not to. She really didn't want to ruin her new Vivienne Westwood Rocking Horse Ballerina shoes too much. Though expensive, as in the words of Momoko, they were "absolutely essential for full Lolitahood." It wasn't like she memorized every line from her favorite novel, Kamikaze Girls, for nothing.
It was Sunday, and that meant going to Jingu Bridge to meet with fellow Lolitas. It was a tradition in some sorts. Besides, it was a great opportunity to not only socialize and meet new people, but to also buy some new accessories and clothing for future Lolita meet-ups. Harajuku wasn't just a place to get together, but a large shopping district as well.
She especially adored Takeshita-dori, one of the main shopping streets in Harajuku. There were so many stores that catered to not only the Lolita fashion, but to others as well, like Visual Kei. What she loved most though, was how full of life it always was. So many young people gathered there, and all you could hear was the talking and laughter of the youth. She really enjoyed how lively and full it always was every Sunday.
To make sure she didn't draw too much attention to herself, she made sure to wear a casual Lolita outfit. She would have to wait until she arrived at Harajuku to change into her fully clad Lolita dress.
As she was waiting, she decided to double-check her outfit for that day. In her bag, she brought a Cyndrina Rossa one-piece dress from BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT. It was a pure white cotton dress with intricate lacings on the edges of the sleeves, the bottom of the dress, and the inside of the collar. There was a small pink bow aligned right in the middle of the chest area with yet another bow, though white with pink flowers on them, right below just where the waistline was. Leading down, there was a pattern of pink flowers cascading to near the end of the dress, where another pink flower border lined the edges of it. With the help of her white Tulle panier underneath, her dress would have a cute bell-shape to it. She preferred the bell-shape to the A-line because it looked cuter. From what she remembered, the dress would end right above her knees. She also had a matching white lacey parasol and a pink heart-shaped bag with a bow to complete the look.
But from it all, her favorite part of her outfit was the hair. Like most Sundays, she always wore a pink wig to complete her ama-loli look, sweet Lolita. The hair was light pink and straight and reached to about her waistline. Today, she had an especially cute, but rather large, white bow to complement the pink bow she had on the dress. Truthfully, from all the Lolita styles, the Sweet Lolita look was definitely her favorite.
Though in all honesty, she really wanted to dye her hair pink but could not. Alas, being a high school student did have its disadvantages; her school did not permit such things for they thought it made students look sloppy. But living in the Lolita lifestyle, she had to be polite and respectful. So in the end, she obeyed the rules and just waited for every Sunday to arrive so she could wear her pink wig. Thank goodness she only had one more year left in high school; maybe college would be better.
To make the change easier, she already came wearing white stockings underneath her casual Lolita jumper skirt, and had the strings from her white rocking horse shoes tied around and all the way up her legs. It would take less time to change, which was better for her.
Sundays at Harajuku was a great break from the monotonous uniforms and suits they all had to wear to school and work. It was a day she could feel free and just be herself without the ridicule of those older than her. It was no wonder the youth always gathered every Sunday at Harajuku just to express themselves through their clothes. She thought it was absolutely brilliant.
Finally, the Chiyoda line arrived and she got on. At most it would be about five minutes to get to Harajuku. As she waited, she decided to message her friends using her keitai that she would be arriving shortly. It was very inappropriate to talk on the phone in public areas, like the train. So, she put her flip phone to "manners mode" so her phone would be on silent and not disrupt anyone near her.
The five minutes passed by quickly and she soon was in Harajuku. She quickly got off and right adjacent to her exit was Harajuku Station. She quickly crossed the street and entered into the main entrance. To her right she found the bathrooms where most people went into to change into their outrageous clothing. She entered the bathrooms and found an empty stall. From there she changed out of her casual Lolita clothes and into her one-piece dress.
To get to Jingu Bridge was about a twelve-minute walk. It was located near the Meiji Shrine area. Though it always took her a bit longer, since all the tourists and shoppers crowded the streets, she always managed to arrive on time.
She was Haruno Sakura, a Lolita hailing from Shibuya, finally ready to go to her meet-up.
"Hey it's Kana!"
"Over here Kana!"
"Guys, as much as I'm flattered to hear that, I'm not Kana!" she laughed out.
"We know that Sakura-chan, but she's like your idol! And the pink hair was all thanks to her," said a blonde, blue-eyed girl.
Her name was Yamanaka Ino and she was Sakura's best friend. They've been close since childhood even though they were completely different. Since they both lived in Shibuya, and went to the same school, they've gotten closer though it wasn't always that way. Ino was always confident and loud and had lots of friends. But it only took one incident for Sakura and Ino to become friends despite their dissimilarities. However, Ino was more rebellious in not only her personality, but her appearance as well.
"Well, that's true Ino. But honestly, please call me by my name, I'm not cosplaying Kana," she replied back.
"All right, if that's what you want," Ino giggled back.
"Well, it's really good to see you guys! Why hello there Hinata-chan! You are looking very cute in your GothLoli outfit today," Sakura complimented.
"W-w-why t-t-thank you S-Sakura-chan," the black straight-haired girl answered. She had on a cute headband that had a black ribbon with white lacings around the edges. She was also wearing a black one-piece lace frill ribbon pinafore dress from Metamorphose temps de fille. It had a giant bow in the middle of the chest with buttons going down to the waist area. Ruffles and small bows cascaded down the dress and ended to just above her knees. The bottom of her dress was very fluffy, probably due to her pannier. On the inside of the dress, she wore a white long-sleeved button down blouse. For her legs, she wore white cotton knee high socks with ruffles at the top and for her knee. She also had on black ribbon strap shoes with a huge bow on the toe area. To end things off, she held a cute black parasol with white lace trimmings to match the bow on her head.
Her name was Hyuuga Hinata, one of Sakura's closets friends. They met at a Lolita meet-up also at Jingu Bridge. Though it was hard at first to talk to Hinata, because she was so shy, Sakura continued to persist and soon succeeded. From that, Sakura was able to break some barriers down, resulting in their now close friendship. Though they didn't attend the same school, they e-mail each other often and see each other every Sunday.
"Hey, what about me?" Ino inquired.
"Ino, you're a gyaru. Aren't you supposed to be going to your Gal Circle?"
"Hey, just because I like the Himegyaru style, doesn't mean I can't hang out with you girls!" Ino pouted.
Like most Himegyarus, Ino had long hair that was curled and fluffed. There was an indigenous crown placed right on top of her fluffy hair, one of the key signs she was a Himegyaru. She had on a shining silver chocker necklace for the "bling bling effect," it matched her tiara. She also wore a strapless white dress with three bows running down the center. White laced ruffles fell off her hips and ended to the top of her knees. She had on clear stockings with some white Cinderella high heels to match. And to complete her outfit, she wore some white gloves that reached to her elbows. Though many have confused Himegyarus to be Lolitas, they were completely different. The only exception, however, would be for Hime Lolitas because Himegyarus influenced many of their clothes.
"Okay girls, settle down! Yamanaka has a point. I mean, just because I like the bosozoku style doesn't mean I can't hang out with you girls too!" shouted a brown haired girl.
That girl's name was Tenten, a gyaru that Ino met at a Gals Circle and became close with. Sakura met Tenten through Ino, and although they weren't as close, like her and Hinata, Sakura still considered Tenten to be part of her group of true friends. Though she was quite skeptical at first in believing Ino was friends with Tenten, because Tenten was not girly or the same type of gyaru as Ino, she finally understood after getting to know her. Although Tenten was violent and liked weapons, she gave off a protective "onee-chan" feeling which was quite comforting. She was a year older as well so she had an independent charm to her. And because she looked like a yanki, people didn't mess with their group.
Today she was sporting a white tokko-fuku, a military type overcoat. She even had a bandaged torso underneath to really give off a gang member look. She also wore loose white baggy pants to match her military overcoat, and black combat boots to end with it. Her brown dyed hair was slicked back and she wore red lipstick to really draw attention.
"T-t-they're right S-Sakura-chan," stuttered Hinata.
"Well, I guess that's true. This isn't a Lolita meet-up to be specific. Besides, its Harajuku, just because I'm a Lolita doesn't mean I only have to hang out with Lolitas," Sakura nodded her head.
"I mean, Momoko from Kamikaze Girls was best friends with Ichigo and she was in a bosozoku," she continued on thoughtfully.
"That's right Sakura! Ah, I love it when you bring up Ichigo. I mean she was the only reason why I watched that movie with you," Tenten chuckled back.
"But you have to admit, it was a good movie. You should read the book too; I think you would enjoy it!" Sakura suggested.
"Like she would waste her time reading a book, Sakura-chan," Ino scoffed while rolling her eyes.
"L-l-let's try t-t-to be n-nice everyone. Onegai-shimasu!" Hinata pleaded.
"Aw, we can never resist you, Hinata-chan, if you ask us like that!" Ten-ten smiled and smothered the little GothLoli into her arms.
Everyone laughed together as they formed a circle to hug Hinata. In Harajuku, so many types of people became friends. Sakura's group was just an example of that.
"Oops sorry girlies, me and Tenten have to go. We can't be late to our Gal Circle! I'll send you guys an e-mail later!" Ino waved good-bye.
"Ja!" Ten-ten gave a small salute as they both walked off.
"Well Hinata-chan, I guess it's just you and me. Let's go meet some other Lolita girls; maybe we can learn some new things about sewing and embroidery!" Sakura shouted excitedly.
Hinata gave a little nod as they continued walking around the bridge. Finally, they spotted two Lolita's talking; one was quite loud while the other just nodded her head in response.
"W-What do you t-t-think S-Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked shyly.
"Well if you want, we can go make friends with them. That one girl doesn't appear to be living the Lolita lifestyle though."
"A-All Lolitas don't n-need to be l-l-living the l-lifestyle to b-b-be a Lolita," Hinata whispered out.
"That's true. But there could be a chance that she might be rude. The Lolitas who choose to live the lifestyle are always polite to people they do not know. Plus, they welcome newcomers freely. I'm actually a little nervous now!"
"D-Don't worry. W-We can't always h-h-hang out w-with the same L-Lolita group forever."
"You're right Hinata-chan. We came to Harajuku this time to make new Lolita friends. Well, let's give it a try."
"Um, excuse me? Hello there. It's nice to meet you guys, my name is Haruno Sakura," she bowed while introducing herself.
"And this is my friend, Hyuuga Hinata. We've come here to make more Lolita friends. So, um, please treat us kindly!" They both bowed to the group before them.
"Why hello! I see you are also into the Lolita fashion. My name is Konan, it's very nice to meet you girls," A dyed violet-blue haired girl bowed back.
She was definitely into the Wa Lolita style, which was kimono styled Lolita dresses. Her purple hair was curled into a messy, but cute, bun with a red rose on the side of her head. She was wearing a black kimono with a red and white cloud pattern. Most kimonos were long, but since this was in Lolita style, it ended to her knees and had a bell-shape to it from her pannier. Her obi was a red looking silk that held her kimono in place. Underneath her dress, she had black stockings and frilled lace-up black boots to complete her outfit.
She gave a small smile while stepping to the side. Behind her was yet another Lolita, but instead of a Wa Lolita look, she was wearing a Punk Lolita outfit. Most of the things she wore, Sakura noticed, were from h. Naoto, a popular clothing brand for both punks and Gothic Lolita (and Punk Lolita of course).
"And this is Karin; she is also into the Lolita fashion."
"It's nice to meet you!" bowed a girl with dyed red hair.
Her hair was parted into pigtails. She had a black mini top hat with a rose on it on the left side of her head. Unlike most Lolitas Sakura had seen, she wore black-framed glasses. She also had on a black chocker with a silver cross hanging off from it. She was wearing a loose short-sleeved black shirt with a skull and red roses on it. Her sleeves were black lace ruffles that fell slightly off her shoulders. She had a black and red ruffled skirt with silver chains hanging loosely off her right hip. On her legs, she wore fishnet knee high socks and platform black heels on her feet. On her arms, she had black lace arm warmers and was holding onto a dolfie doll that had on the same outfit as her.
"Um Karin-san, is that the gothic Lolita dolfie doll collaboration with h. NAOTO?"
"Yes it is. It was expensive, but I was able to afford it." Karin smirked.
"Don't mind her; Karin likes to boast whenever she gets a new Lolita outfit, especially an expensive one," Konan apologized.
"Well, it's not my fault my parents have money. And it's not like I just pig off of them I am a working girl. I think I'm allowed to boast once in a while."
"U-Uh so y-y-you're not into t-the Lolita l-l-lifestyle?" Hinata stuttered out.
"Eh I can't hear you, you speak so softly. Say it louder," Karin said rather demandingly.
"Karin." Konan gave her a stern look.
"Um she was asking if you weren't into the Lolita lifestyle," Sakura answered back. Hinata sighed.
"It's okay Hinata! I'm really proud of you. You were able to speak without being too shy," Sakura whispered as she winked at her. Hinata blushed though there was a small smile adorning her face.
"T-thank you S-Sakura-chan!" Hinata beamed back.
"Oh, well why didn't you say that before little GothLoli. No, I'm not interested in living the full lifestyle of a Lolita I just like the fashion. I apologize if I came out as rude, but that's how I am."
"No it's fine, we were just wondering. So Kanon-san do you also not live in the Lolita lifestyle?" Sakura turned her attention to the other girl.
"Actually, yes I do choose to live in the lifestyle. I just feel more 'Lolita' if I also act like those during the Victorian ages. I mean, the Lolita style was influenced from clothes from the Victorian Age and the Rococo period. Shouldn't we also act the part if we look it? I'm not saying that those Lolitas who don't act it are any less a Lolita than me. I just have that type of mindset. How about you girls?" she replied.
"Oh yes we are both living the lifestyle. It is kind of hard, but we both love the idea very much." They both nodded their heads in agreement.
"Honestly, I think it's a waste of time. I'm not going to change my whole personality and lifestyle just to be 'more' Lolita. To me Lolita isn't a lifestyle it's just fashion, but that's my opinion," Karin shrugged.
"And we respect you for that Karin," Konan answered.
The soft ringing of a cellphone then interrupted the conversation. Karin took out her phone and opened the screen.
"Eh? Well, look who decided to call me now. I'll be right back, so excuse me for now." Karin walked off to a more secluded area to talk on the phone.
"I'm really am sorry about Karin. She's actually a really nice person. She's just not use to you guys yet, give her some time and she'll adjust," Konan bowed apologetically.
"N-no it's f-f-fine Konan-san," Hinata nodded back.
"Yes, we understand."
"So, do you guys always come here on Sundays?" asked the purple-headed girl.
"Yes we do. We really love seeing all the different styles here on the Jingu Bridge."
"Me too. I love how diverse everyone is, but I really love how everyone can still come together and talk to one another despite these differences in style. Although we all tend to stay within our own groups, I'm actually very happy you guys decided to come talk to us."
"I am too. I really love making new Lolita friends," Sakura smiled back.
"Sorry about that, I'm back now," Karin smiled triumphantly, arms on her hips.
"What was that about?"
"Oh you know, those idiots again."
"I see, so are you planning to meet up with them?"
"Yeah. Sorry I had to cut this hang out short Konan."
"No, it's fine. I was actually planning to meet-up with Pein." Konan looked at her black flip phone.
"Oh, well look at the time, I must go be going now. I can't be late."
"Are you guys leaving so soon?" Sakura frowned.
"Yes, I do apologize. Well, why don't we all exchange numbers and e-mail addresses, that way we can hang out in the future," Konan suggested.
"T-That would b-b-be nice," Hinata smiled.
After they all exchanged their information, Konan scurried off towards the streets. Hinata and Sakura then both glanced at each other before they both looked at Karin.
"So, are you leaving too Karin?" Sakura asked timidly.
"Eh? Oh yeah I guess."
Hinata and Sakura both sighed dejectedly, they now had no one to hang out with. Karin gave them a frustrated look before she finally sighed in defeat.
"I'm actually planning to meet up with another group of friends. If you guys want to, you can come with me, I guess. It can make-up for my rudeness earlier," Karin offered to both of the girls.
"Is it another Lolita meet-up?"
"Nope. They're just guys who like Visual Kei."
"Wahhhh Visual Kei? Do they like Mana-sama?" Sakura asked excitedly, her eyes filling up with hope.
"Who knows? Why don't you ask them that when we get there?" Karin answered leading the way to the location of the other group.
"Don't worry Hinata-chan, I'm right here for you. Let's be brave together!" Sakura grasped both of Hinata's hands into her hands with a look of determination.
With a nod, they both followed the red headed Lolita down the bridge, closer to the Meiji Shrine.
"They might seem unapproachable, but they're nice once you get to know them, I suppose," Karin shrugged her shoulders.
Hinata and Sakura both glanced at each other, both nervous and scared. Sakura wasn't so good around guys, and Hinata, even worse. In their heads, they were both praying to Kami-sama for some help. Maybe then they would be able to get through it.
"There they are," Karin pointed to a group of three boys.
"Hey guys over here!" She waved to them.
The one on the right had spiky, semi-long blonde hair. He looked more into oshare kei than visual kei. He had on a striped white and orange baggy shirt with a pink jacket over. Her wore loose leopard printed shorts that passed his knees. Underneath it, he wore what looked like to be striped socks in different colors. Both legs had knee high black and white striped socks, however, the left foot had a smaller black and purple striped sock on top of it, while the right foot had a smaller black and pink striped sock on top. For his shoes, he was wearing the ever so popular platform black and white "Demonia" creeper shoes. He also had a fluffy black messenger bag that was shaped as a cat's head, and wore a necklace with an angry looking white character dangling.
He had a goofy smile on while he laughed with another boy who stood in the middle of the trio.
The other boy had white dyed hair that was at least shoulder length, and was styled to have the "windy" effect where pieces of hair stuck out a little at the sides. He wore a sleeveless long black cut sew with the words, SEX POT REVENGE, written in pink and light blue. He wore a studded belt on top of it; it hung slightly angled around his hips. For his legs, he wore faded, knee-ripped jeans with white skulls all over. For shoes, he had black and white converse high tops with the lips of the shoe hanging off, showing a plaid black and yellow design on the inside.
The white-headed guy elbowed the last guy on the left, after nodding his head in their direction.
To Sakura, the guy on the right was the coolest looking from all three. He had dark blue-black spiked hair, the spikes mostly at the back of his head. He had on a long black cardigan that had a "baggy" look with studs throughout. It also had extra long sleeves that covered his arms and his hands. On the inside, he had a black t-shirt with a white skull design and a belt that hung around his hips. He wore slightly tight black pants that were covered by his knee-high black studded boots. Though his outfit was the most simple, it just made him stand out even more.
Though Sakura knew it was very rude to stare, she couldn't help but look at the dark-headed boy. It was like she had seen this person before. She couldn't remember where exactly, but she knew for a fact that she had seen this person sometime in her life. She stood there contemplating and thinking to herself, openly staring at the boy in front of her.
"S-Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Hinata asked softly as she tried shaking her friend.
Though many things could have happened at that point, one in particular did.
"Eh? What? Oh I'm sorry Hinata-chan, I'm fine," Sakura answered back, blinking her eyes repetitively.
It was both a surprise to not only her, but to the boy as well.
"Wait a minute," the pinkette whispered, her eyes wide in realization.
" . . . Uchiha-san?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side.
" . . . Who are you?"
After all, this was the life of Sakura, the unknown Lolita girl from Shibuya.
UNTIL NEXT TIME!
Close: Chapter 1 Completed
I've always wanted to write a story like this. I really love the Lolita fashion and the lifestyle! If you see any errors with the information I wrote, I would really appreciate it if you could correct me. I tried my best to research everything well so that I could write something that's realistic.
I really hate describing, especially when it comes to outfits. I'm not good at it, but I tried my best.
REVIEW PLEASE.
~七転八起