Author's (Very Long) Note: Since Nobuko's life outside of school was rarely touched on in the drama, I've tried to stay true to her characteristics and give her a bit of a history. This will be my take on Nobuta wo Produce, from Nobuko's perspective.

Then, how did I decide on her history? Well, It's hard for me to accept that she became so emotionally damaged by the words of her step-father. ("I may have married your mother, but I'm not your father.") It must have taken years to reach such a mental state and from what I've seen, her step-father doesn't seem particularly bad.

So, that dreaded, "what if?" rang through my mind. What if we were only told half the story? What if the 'step-father' we see in the series is merely the mask that he shows the public? We've seen Shuuji display two very distinct personalities and I'd bet he's not alone in doing so. The idea seemed logical, so I ran with it.

Now, without further ado, please read on and I truly hope you enjoy the story.

Post Author's Note: Some of this chapter came straight from the drama. I owe a debt of gratitude to the original writers and actors – I've stolen the scene with love, I swear! (Please don't sue!)

--

"If only I never married your mother," a man's voice shot out. There was no mistaking his anger – his tone of voice made it more than clear. "She wouldn't have left me for some asshole and forced me to take in her pathetic excuse for a daughter!" He reached out and grabbed a handful of hair, all the while sending a fist hard into the stomach of the young woman who stood before him. "Get out of my sight you worthless piece of trash!"

He pushed her down and walked toward the kitchen, grabbing yet another beer from the refrigerator. On the floor remained his step-daughter, Nobuko, who was clutching her abdomen and trying desperately not to cry out in pain. As the saying goes, 'silence is golden'. Noise often lead to another beating. She knew this all too well, for this was her life... or at least it had been since her mother had walked out.

For whatever reason, Nobuko's mother had left behind her only daughter and second husband. Without so much as an explanation, she had simply packed up her belongings and left. While her step-father was sure she had another man, Nobuko really didn't care anymore because it had been over six years since she'd seen her. Not once had she stopped by, called, or so much as written. She knew she had been abandoned and figured it didn't do any good to question why.

Shortly after her mother had left them, her step-father had turned to alcohol. Since then he'd regularly blame Nobuko for all his troubles. Naturally, she was also the one he released all of his anger upon. Not wanting to chance that her step-father might return to the living room, Nobuko quietly picked herself up from the floor and headed out the door. Six years of his anger had been more than enough and she wasn't about to settle for another six years of it.

As Nobuko made her way through the streets, images filled her mind of the willow tree she had spotted two days ago, just after they'd moved into their new home. The tree seemed like a whole other world to her. As she watched the tree, she saw herself – shaking and alone. She figured it would be the perfect place to end her life.

She stood in shock for a moment when she reached the harbor. They were taking it! The tree - her willow tree – had been ripped from the ground and was being tied to the deck of a large ship! When she reached the end of the pier, she fell to her knees. All that was left was a large empty hole. Again, she saw herself. She saw her spirit torn from her body, and the big empty void that it left behind. Why was the entire world against her? Why couldn't she even die beneath the one tree that she had chosen?

That's when she heard it. An hysterical scream for the missing tree. "Gone! The willow tree is gone! Why?" The mysterious voice cried out to the fishes, to the heavens, and to anyone else that might be listening. Apparently she wasn't the only person missing the willow.

Slowly, Nobuko stood up and silently watched the young man frantically searching for the tree.

"It couldn't be... the willow fairy?" The young man had finally spotted Nobuko. Clearly frightened, he backed up as she slowly walked closer. It wasn't long before he'd fallen backwards onto the ground.

"The willow tree," she told him, "If you're looking for it, it's gone. Today... they dug it out and took it somewhere."

"Oh... really?"

"Because it was a willow tree... it wasn't the greatest thing to hang myself from, but..." She trailed off, searching for the right words.

"H-hang yourself?" He asked her, shocked.

"The way that it was shaking, somehow, it didn't seem like it was from this world. It was kind of... good." Hoping to emphasize her point, she attempted a smile.

"Ah... your stomach... does it hurt?"

It did hurt – and badly. In fact, the pain from the earlier punch had barely decreased, but there was no way she would tell him that. So, instead, she simply replied, "Why?"

"Well... just now... your face looked like you were in pain."

"I smiled," she said, once again trying her best to put on a happy face. It wasn't technically a lie either, because she had truly been trying to smile. I guess having no reason to smile in such a long time, had left her very out of practice.

"You smiled, didn't you?" He said in agreement as he scrambled to his feet. "You smiled... you smiled," he continued to repeat as he fumbled onto his bike and took off as quickly as he could. One time he did look back, but he quickly continued on.

So once again, Nobuko was on her own. Defeated, she looked at the ground knowing she had nowhere to go, but back home. So slowly, she walked back through the streets and watched as the skies gradually became darker. By the time she reached her home, the sun had fully set.