Because while I'm at it, why not start something completely new? Of course, who knows when I'll find time to update, but that's irrelevant. Based off of Steampianist & morbidMorsel's song 'The Umbrella Salesman'. Listen to it. It's haunting. I don't think I'm doing it justice in this story, but enough of that.

If Kano seems somewhat OOC, it's because I'm writing him as still fairly young, so he hasn't quite learned to shield his emotions yet. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

(happy birthday you deceiver you)

Anyway, review! :D

The newly-risen sun gleamed like a pale coin behind a thin layer of clouds. The wind blew strongly for a moment, tangling in the trees, bending the grass, and spilling the merchandise of the umbrella salesman out of his hands.

"Ah!" He leaped and ran, catching the umbrellas as they drifted like ungainly jellyfish across the sidewalk. One tumbled into the street, and he darted after it, barely missing the incoming front end of a car. An indignant honk of the horn scolded him as he finally caught the umbrella, folding it closed with a decisive snap. "Phew! That was a close one," he said to no one in particular, and tucked the umbrellas more firmly under his arm so that the next gust wouldn't toss them out of his hands again.

It was a frosty day, and Kano's short-sleeved jacket didn't do much to keep him warm. Shifting the umbrellas to the crook of one arm, he rubbed the other with his hand, trying to bring some warmth back into it. It didn't work very well, and he shivered before turning to look at the houses on the side of the street. They didn't look too shabby, like the kind of people who would knock him down to steal his merchandise. Maybe he could sell some things here and get a few dollars, maybe buy a little food.

He smiled. Yes, that's what I'll do. It's an excellent plan. He took a breath and knocked on the door, pasting a smile on his face.

It opened a little, and a thin-faced woman peered out. "Yes?"

"Would you like to buy an umbrella?" offered the boy, pulling out an umbrella to display. It was red with white spots, like a toadstool, and he twirled it in his hand before opening it with a small poompf. "A magic umbrella, soar up and awa-"

"No, thank you." She all but slammed the door in his face.

Kano dropped the smile and closed the umbrella, rubbing one chilly arm halfheartedly. Nobody wants to buy them, he thought to himself. They don't believe in magic. Then, he straightened up, went to the next door, took that bracing breath, and rapped firmly on the door.

It was answered by a small girl with a mane of light hair, who stared up at him with large, inquisitive eyes. He smiled back. "Hello little girl, is your mother here?"

"Yes." A taller woman came to the door, putting a hand on the child's shoulder protectively and eyeing him with suspicion. Well, all right, fine, so I'm not entirely out of the poorest area yet, he amended. Still, nobody's tried to rob me yet.

"Would you like to buy an umbrella?" Cue the swoop, twirl in hand and the opening of the umbrella. This one was bear patterned, pale beige with semicircle ears and a smiling face. The little girl clapped her hands in delight, and on a sudden instinct, Kano bent down to her level. "Do you want to know a secret?"

The girl giggled and nodded her head, and the blond boy stage-whispered, "These are magic umbrellas."

The look of utter astonishment on her face was adorably comical. He felt a surge of joy for making someone happy, dampened only when the mother fixed a steely glare on him that made him want to freeze in place. "If you try, really hard, you can float up to lie on the silver clouds. It's a real bird's-eye view."

The girl turned to her mother. "Mama! Can we buy an umbwella?" The stereotypical toddler lisp changed the word endearingly. "Pwease?" Kano rolled the umbrella handle between his palms at that, sending the colors into a rainbow blur.

For a moment, the woman seemed to be indecisive, hesitating on the threshold of agreement, and Kano's hopes lifted. Maybe...

Then she firmed her resolve and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but we don't have money for things like this. Maybe next time, Mary," she said to the girl, tousling the fluffy white locks. Mary pouted, but didn't complain any further than that. "Thank you for your time."

The woman closed the door (trying to coerce working women into spending their hard-earned money on frivolous items, what a joke), and Kano sighed. The day didn't seem to be getting any warmer, and he was hungry. As if on cue, his stomach growled loudly, and he looked around to see if anyone had heard. It was embarrassing that he'd had to do this, but this was his life now. Only the clothes on his back and the umbrellas he'd found in a garbage pail one day. And how long ago was that? Two months? Three? It felt like his entire life. Certainly more than three paltry months doing this, that was assured.

He'd sold none of them.

Why didn't they believe him when they said they were magic? They were. He'd found them, opened one, and it'd taken him away, to almost fairyland. The clouds and comets were in easy reach, and he could stroke his fingers through the night sky and stir it, licking the stars off his fingers as if they were sprinkles. And though he'd had the time of his life, it was somewhat lonely up there.

If even just one person would buy one, we could walk hand in hand through the sky as if we were angels. The thought made him smile. We'd both fly, dancing into the sun. It'd be beautiful.

Kano tripped over a curb (clumsy child), and the umbrellas scattered out of his hands again, rolling every which way. He hastened to pick them up before the wind did, and then he sat on the curb, feeling somewhat faint for a moment. When was the last time I had something to eat? That was the day before yesterday, right? When that old man didn't chase me away from the trash can. Maybe I should go back there instead.

Except he already knew that his exhausted legs couldn't manage the trek all the way across the city. He could just patrol the neighborhood, perhaps, looking to sell an umbrella and buy something. But he knew it was a small town, and as he walked from place to place and city to city he'd come full circle, hadn't he? This is where his mother had died, and after walking a few circuits the area, he'd found his way home like a pigeon come to roost. Bad times can never quite get off of you, can they?

With effort, he pushed himself back to his feet, clenching the umbrellas tightly. The next house over had a red door, tall with rectangular paneling, and rusted doorknob worn down by use. And he pitched his sales again and again. Once more, twice more. Past noon, people didn't answer the doors anymore. Every door he knocked on was closed, and did not open. He thought it was a pretty accurate representation of the way his life was going.

The sun had started to plunge past the horizon when Kano ended up in an alleyway, all unsold magic umbrellas tight within his grasp, and a gnawing pain in his belly. Orange shadows painted his face like rust, and frustrated tears squeezed from his eyes. "It's unfair!" he shouted, throwing down the umbrellas. "Some people can't make a living, and some can! Why can't I join them? Why do I have to stay anchored in reality? It's not fair, dammit!"

(you don't, remember?)

Mechanically, gathering up his precious umbrellas, he grabbed the first one that came to his fingers. A rainbow-patterned one, a new color for each segment.

(are you ready to go up?)

Closing his eyes and sighing like a druggie taking a hit, he reverently fumbled with the umbrella, opening it slowly and then all at once.

Everything glowed.