Dear Reader,

ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GOOOOO! WHEEEEEEE! I'm so happy that I got this done! Now I'll be able to work on the sequel! Heee Hawww

I don't own I!My!Me!Strawberry Eggs!

WARNING: OC named Yumeko who is based off of my Aunt! Crossdressing, Blatant Fluff,

Behold the Power of Cheese!

Stay safe
Stay healthy
Sincerely,

Starr

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hibiki swallowed hard. He was nervous. He fought the urge to run his hand through his hair. He fought the urge to fiddle with his slacks.

"She's your cousin." He muttered to himself, "She's family. Just tell her what you have to say. If she hates you and shuns you for it, well that'll be that. But you have to be strong..." He swallowed hard. It was odd, he always felt stronger in a skirt. When he was a woman he felt strong. Maybe that was because he was pretending to be someone else. People were always strong when they were pretending.

"No more pretending." He said firmly, looking up at the house where he had grown up, "Hibiki is Hibiki and he can be no other. This is who you are. I am not a fake, I am not a liar." He strode up the steps resolutely, "Then why do I wish I was?" He mumbled reaching for the doorbell. He rang it twice then stuck his head into the entrance way.

"Yumeko?" He called, "You there?"

"Hibiki-kun!" His cousin called, running into the entranceway as fast as her kimono allowed and flinging herself into his arms, "You came back! Oh, I've missed you so much! I was so worried!" She said in a rush, "Come in! Come in! I just put some tea on!"

"Mmmm... Yumeko's tea... If there's one thing I've missed..." Hibiki grinned walking into the house and kicking off his shoes. Yumeko smiled.

"Of course..." She said, "Not just anyone can drink my tea... It takes someone very special..."

"My father, for one." Hibiki said, bowing respectfully to the house shrine, where his parent's pictures stood.

"And me, for another..." Yumeko said before clapping her hands together, "Now! No more talk of the past... I want to hear all about what you've been doing since you graduated... Are you a teacher now? What are your students like?" Hibiki smiled.

"One question at a time!" He protested, "I was a teacher for awhile, but I was dismissed."

"What!" Yumeko cried, "What happened?" Hibiki looked away.

"That's the thing..." He said, then began his story of skirts and students, love and make-up, bras and misunderstandings and his journey to find himself. When he finished he simply sat there and breathed, existing for the moment. In a way it was a relief to get it all off his chest. Yumeko had always been his closest family, taking closely to her aunt's, Hibiki's mother, side of the family with her pale skin and dark blue-black hair. If she couldn't understand, than he no longer belonged to the Amawa's.

"Well..." She murmured, sipping her tea, "Well..."

"I know it's a lot to take in and quite a shock..." Hibiki said, "I was... Surpised at myself to say the least... But," He sat up resolutely, "I took some time to think and I've decided to live my life the way I want to. The way the feels best for me."

"Does this mean you want to be a woman?" Yumeko asked, "That you're gay? That you're a transsexual? What does it mean?" Hibiki snorted into his tea and started coughing.

"What!" He choked, then he laughed, "I'm as straight as a needle! No, I'm not a transsexual! It simply means I'm a lot more comfortable and confident when I'm wearing women's clothing!"

"But it'll be so hard to get a girlfriend if you're wearing a dress..." Yumeko sighed. Hibiki turned red and looked away.

"What?" Yumeko asked, "What's that look for? Don't tell me you've found a girlfriend?" Hibiki shrugged.

"I don't know.." He said, "I still need to talk to her about our feelings for each other... And that's not the only problem..."

"She was one of your students wasn't she..?" Yumeko guessed, "That was the reason you left... You didn't want to pressure her."

"She's fifteen now..." Hibiki said, "In a year she'll be old enough to make her own decisions... But still..."

"Whatever you're thinking you can forget it." Yumeko said flatly, "In a year's time she will be old enough to do whatever she thinks is best concerning love. If she loves you only death itself could keep her away from you. So the real question is... Do you feel alright having a girlfriend who is younger than you? And if you are what are you going to do about it?"

"That's what I need to decide." He sighed, giving into the urge to run his hand through his hair, "She'll be a freshman at the Saitow Highschool... Lulu-baa-chan called me and told me a position just opened up there for a gym kyoshi... I want to take it... But that means I'll be working closely with her... and that might cause... Complications..."

"Hmmm..." Yumeko hummed into her tea. Then she set her cup down with a resolute clink and looked her cousin right in the eye.

"You and I are both Amawa's." She said bluntly, "We don't think like normal people. We are untraditional. We think like westerners with their Liberal ideals. We are like willows... We may bend with the wind and tides but it is so hard to break us..."

"But I broke so easily back there..." Hibiki protested, "I left..."

"You did not break." Yumeko said firmly, "You bent the only way you knew how. By leaving you were giving yourself and those around you time to think. You have been away and found that you didn't like it. Now you are bending the way you were meant to by trying again. By not letting those who hurt you defeat you. I say you're doing well... If people can't deal with the real you, than they don't deserve to sit in your presence." Hibiki smiled.

"You always knew how to make me feel better, Yumeko." He said, "That's why you're my favorite cousin."

"Tuh. I'm your only cousin." She answered bluntly, "Now, since this is a special occasion how about we go out for dinner? My treat." She smiled and Hibiki gulped. He knew that look. She wanted something from him.

"What do you want?" He asked, leaning away nervously. Yumiko's smile grew wider.

"Only to see what my precious baby cousin looks like in pantyhose..." She drawled. Hibiki rolled his eyes.

"You want a girl's night out." He groaned, "And for your information they are 'thigh highs' not 'pantyhose'..." Yumeko smiled and bounced like a fifteen-year-old.

"Yup!" She chirped, grabbing one of his bags, "I'll just help you take your things to your room so you can change and then we can go!" Hibiki rolled his eyes again and sighed. Knowing Yumeko she had something planned. She always did, after all... She was an Amawa.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Hibiki got to his room he saw Yumeko rummaging around in a trunk of clothing. He sighed again.

"Yumeko..." He whined, "You know mom's clothes won't fit me... I'm two feet taller than she was!"

"You may not remember this, Hibiki-kun, but grandma was tall for a woman." Yumeko shot back, "I'm checking to see if one of her dresses are still here..."

"She only looked tall because we were so small." He answered, "She wasn't that big!"

"She was five foot seven." Yumeko said, "You are six foot one. It's not that big of a difference."

"Ugh... Why me..?" Hibiki muttered when suddenly there was a bundle of cloth in his face.

"To see if you are truly ready to, as you put it, 'Be yourself', you will put this on and we will go for a night on the town." Yumeko said.

"Ugh... Why me?" Hibiki muttered again as Yumeko swept out the door.

"We leave in two hours!" She called cheerfully, nearly skipping to her own room with glee.

"Ugh..." Hibiki said again before looking at the clothes that had been thrown at him. It was a knee length dress of purple and blue with a green ivy pattern across it. It looked like a cross between a kimono and a dress. It was pretty, if a bit old fashioned. The sleeves were like kimono sleeves almost, but not. It was a confusing mish mosh of things.

"Just like me..." Hibiki said out loud, "A mish mosh of things." Smiling slightly he went to unpack his things, "If she wants me to go all out I must do my best to not disappoint." He said.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An hour and a half later, after a shower and a change of clothes, Hibiki thudded down the stares and flumped into one of the living room chairs in an unladylike slouch. Adjusting the high ponytail he rolled his shoulders and sighed loudly before putting his brooch on.

"Yumeko!" He called in a woman's voice, "Even for a girl you dress slow!"

"That you Hibiki-kun!" Came Yumeko's surprised voice from upstairs, "You do sound just like auntie! That's amazing!" A few minutes later Yumeko hopped down the stairs. For a thirty-one year old she was energetic. She definitely reminded him of a few of his former students. They just stood and appraised each other for a minute. Yumeko was wearing a short blue and pink sun dress with yellow leaf prints on it. Her short hair had been curled into a bob and she wore bracelets on her wrists. Hibiki was wearing his grandmother's odd little dress, had decided to not wear the hair spray, put in a pair of purple flower earrings and had done his nails in a dark maroon color. As usual he wore make-up and had used just a tad more eye-shadow than usual to make his eyes look bigger. Yumeko smiled.

"You look just like auntie too." She said softly. Hibiki smiled.

"Thanks... You look pretty." He said. Yumeko squinted her eyes for a moment before reaching out and tapping the brooch.

"You don't need that you know." She said.

"Huh? Yes I do!" Hibiki protested. Yumeko sighed and shook her head.

"No. You don't... What are you so afraid of? Some people'll freak out, yes, but most probably will either be impressed or won't care." She held out her hand, "Give it to me..." Hibiki covered the brooch protectively.

"You aren't going to hurt it are you?" He asked shakily. Yumeko rolled her eyes.

"Hibiki-kun, do you remember your blanket? The one you never seemed to grow out of?" She asked. Hibiki raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah? What's that got to do with my brooch?" He demanded.

"You are clinging to the brooch. You do not need to change your voice. You are trying to hide again! No hiding! This is a test! If you can handle being a man in women's clothing you can handle sounding like a man! Give it!" She tapped her foot impatiently. Hibiki bit his lip.

"You won't break it will you?" He asked, "Because I will want to use it..." Yumeko nodded.

"I want to wean you from your fear." She said, "Leave it at home. We go out for a night on the town. You gage the people's reaction to you. If you get too edgy we'll go home. But I think you'll find that people are more opened minded than you first believed." Hibiki undid the clasp and handed it to her.

"Here... You're right. If I want to teach again as myself I'll have to over come this fear." He said. She smiled and stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek.

"That's my brave little cousin..." Then she grabbed his hand and dragged him to the door, "And by the end of this week I want you to loose the fake boobs too!"

"Ack!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The night out had been... Interesting... And that was putting it loosely. Hibiki didn't know whether to laugh in triumph or shake with nerves as Yumeko paid the taxi fare and walked with him back up to the house. Having men stare at his ass had been both disturbing and oddly flattering. Having other women glare in jealousy had been just plain funny. When one couple had gotten into an argument because the man had been oggling him and the woman began making snide comments Hibiki had gone with it and said, 'aw, you're just jealous that I wear heels better than you.' There had been a stunned silence for a moment before the woman had started laughing and the man had become defensive. An odd switch around. But now he was mentally exhausted. Once inside he flopped on the couch and covered his eyes with his arm.

"Urgh..." He mumbled. Yumeko locked the door and turned on the lights.

"I'm proud of you. You handled yourself very well."

"What's my grade for tonight, Sensei?" He asked absently. Yumeko grinned.

"B+." She answered.

"What! I think I at least deserved and A-!"

"It's the same thing, idiot!"

"So?"

"You call yourself a kyoshi and you can't even grade things properly."

"I can so grade things properly."

"Don't pout."

"I'm not."

"Pout."

"Shut up!" And the argument had cheerfully gone on from there as they went up the stairs to change and to bed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A week went by and Yumeko taught Hibiki many things. Things that he never realized he needed to learn before. Before he new it Graduation was coming up and he knew that he was ready to face the world once again...