Title: Goth

Warnings: Language, snarkiness.

Rating: PG

Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. Hopefully it isn't as angsty as prior chapters have been. Thank you to everyone whose favorited, followed, and left feedback. You all are too kind.

4. She was not a goth and she hated it when people assumed she was.

Her father looked up from his morning paper and frowned. "Go change."

She frowned back and grabbed the carton of milk from the counter. "What? Why?"

"I won't have you dressed as some goth. Go put on something decent."

"This is decent!" she exclaimed. Hiroki snickered into his cereal and she kicked his chair as she passed him. "Shut-up, runt."

"Don't call me that," he snapped.

"I'm not a goth." She ignored her brother and poured milk on her cereal.

"You look like one," Hiroki supplied. "All dressed in black and mopey looking."

"Shut-up," she snapped again.

"Yumi, I'm not going to say it again." Yumi rolled her eyes and stabbed the spoon angrily into the bowl.

"Say what?" her mother questioned as she entered the kitchen. She fumbled with the clasp of her necklace and searched the fridge for the milk.

"Do you see what your daughter is wearing, Akiko?"

Her mother spared a look at her, spotted the milk, and hurried over. "I think she looks nice. I could do without the midriff showing, but that's the style these days, isn't it?" Her father spluttered while her mother poured a glass of milk and finger combed Hiroki's unruly hair. "You're in need of a haircut."

"Mom!" he protested.

"Nice?" he gasped. "Nice? She should change this instant!" His hands clenched in his newspaper and he took a vicious bite out of his toast, spilling crumbs on his new tie. "She looks like a hoodlum."

"I thought she was goth?" her mother replied.

Yumi groaned. "I'm not a goth!" she exclaimed. She shoved her chair back and grabbed her bag from where she'd dropped it on the floor. "I'm going to school."

"What about your breakfast?" her mother called.

"I'll eat at school!" She grabbed a granola bar on her way out and escaped to school half an hour early.

. . … . .

Odd had a glint in his eyes and a mischievous quirk to his smile that reminded Yumi a little too much of her little brother. He sprawled on the bench next to Ulrich and gave her a once over. She wanted to cross her arms over her chest but wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. Ulrich elbowed Odd away from him but the blonde just resumed his previous position as soon as the offending appendage was removed.

"So you're a goth?" he asked.

Jeremie looked up distractedly from his laptop. He gave her a small smile and rolled his eyes at Odd before returning to his typing. Yumi's eyes narrowed while Ulrich elbowed Odd again, this time in the ribs. "I'm not a goth," she replied.

"Right," Odd agreed. He eyed Yumi. "You sure you aren't a goth? You look the part, pale with dark hair and clothes…"

"I'm. Not. A. Goth."

"I mean, at first I thought it was just that you were having a black day, but you've come to school like this for two days straight. I'm surprised your geisha get up isn't black on Ly-"

Jeremie made a strangled sound and glowered at Odd over the top of his glasses. "Odd," he warned.

"Well, I'm just surprised you wore color," he supplied.

"Says the boy who always wears purple?" she retorted. Odd's eyes narrowed and his smile twisted to something just shy of malicious.

"Girls love a guy who's in touch with his femininity," he replied. His eyes flicked over her again. "Guys probably think you're on your way to a funeral."

"Don't be an ass," Ulrich muttered. Odd shrugged and ran a hand through his newly styled hair.

"Too late," Yumi snapped. She stepped over Odd's outstretched legs and took a seat next to Jeremie on the other bench. Ulrich gave her a helpless look and she rolled her eyes. "It's in his DNA."

"Ha-ha-ha," Odd replied when Ulrich snorted. "It's an easy assumption to make."

"Except when emphatically disputed," Yumi returned. Odd shrugged and pulled out a notebook and paper. Yumi dug through her own bag to find the novel she was supposed to have finished three days ago. "Goth," she muttered under her breath. She ignored Ulrich's smile and opened the book.

. . … . .

Hina squealed when she opened her door and threw her arms around her. "Yumi!" she shrieked. "I've missed you so much!" She took a step back and her eyebrows disappeared under her hair. "I know you've always had a proclivity for black…but goth?"

Yumi's eyes rolled as Hina pulled her into the apartment. "Not you too," she sighed. "My grandmother scolded for twenty-eight minutes straight about my lifestyle choices," she moaned. "I'm not goth. I just like black."

Hina's eyes danced and she led her down the hall to her room. "It's a bit shocking. When you lived here you wore some color." Hina shoved her into the large pink chairs and took a seat on her bed. "So tell me…how hot are French guys?"

Yumi chuckled. "Hina."

"Don't deprive me, Yumi."

"Not that much," she replied. "There is one…but he's not French, he's German. The only thing is…" Her face heated and she shrugged. Hina laughed and threw a pillow at her head.

"Don't leave me hanging!"

"Well…we just met. And he's a year younger…"

"You cougar!" Hina teased. "But he's hot? What's his name?"

"Forget it, what about you? You've only talked about school in your emails lately." Yumi twirled the pink chair from side-to-side and studied her friend curiously. Hina shrugged a thin shoulder and chewed on the ends of a lock of hair.

"Oh, nothing much. You know…"

"Come on, spill it!" She tossed the pillow back. "Hina?"

"Nothing! Really!" Hina protested. She laughed and started in on a long story about her sister's latest cooking failure and Yumi forgot the secretive look in her eye.

. . … . .

"I don't get it."

Sissi's voice had gotten progressively louder until Ulrich had been forced to grab her by the arm and pull her out of the courtyard and nearer to the sports field. Yumi stood with Odd and Jeremie and watched Ulrich try and calm the girl. Sissi's hands flailed and one of them connected with Ulrich's shoulder.

"Ten Euros says she'll run sobbing by," Odd said. He was already digging in his pocket for the money.

"Odd," Jeremie groaned. He rolled his eyes at the other blonde. "Sissi'd have to have feelings for that to happen."

Yumi smirked and leaned a shoulder against the brick wall behind them. "I'll take that bet." They handed their money to Jeremie for safe keeping and Jeremie sighed.

She watched as Ulrich put a hand on Sissi's shoulder. The girl stilled and she looked over at their group. "This should be good," Odd noted.

Yumi wasn't sure if it was good, but it was entertaining. Sissi's voice increased in pitch as Ulrich stepped away. He walked slowly back to their group, hands deep in his pockets. Yumi couldn't hear all the words but she caught the end well enough. The whole courtyard caught the end. "-for that goth-girl Ishiyama, aren't you?" Sissi screamed.

"I'm not a goth," Yumi seethed.

Odd snorted and cackled, leaned against Jeremie and they watched Sissi storm dry-eyed away to the rear of the school.

Ulrich reached their group and offered them a thin smile. "Come on," he said. "Let's go get supper."

. . … . .

"Don't forget I want you home by ele-"

Her father's voice broke off suddenly and she looked up curiously. "Dad? Is everything okay?" She grabbed her phone and checked for texts or missed calls. She wasn't ready to admit it was becoming an obsession.

"I…uh, you look nice, Yumi." Her father blinked at her from the armchair. She frowned in confusion. He'd seen her wear the deep burgundy dress before and hadn't commented on it before. "I forgot what color looked like on you."

Her eyes narrowed into a scowl. "Don't start, please."

"Right, well. Eleven, remember that." She nodded and slipped her phone into the small purse her mother had bought her last week. "Have fun at the dance."

"Thanks." She kissed his cheek and slipped out the door.

. . … . .

She could feel the eyes staring at her. She lifted her gaze from the novel she was reading for class and spotted Aelita watching her curiously across the library table. "Something wrong?" she asked. She wondered if this was Aelita's way of telling her there was something on her face.

Aelita's face flushed and she shrugged. "No…I just…Well, Odd and I were watching a movie last night-"

Yumi could see where this was going but she still had to ask. "Oh, really? And…?"

Aelita's cheeks darkened minutely. "He was explaining cliques and styles and well…you're…goth…?" she asked tentatively.

She closed her eyes and counted silently to ten. "No," she replied.

"Oh." Her forehead creased. "Emo? Punk?"

Yumi snorted at the last one and shook her head. "I'm just me. I like black," she said simply. "Like you like pink and Odd likes purple." She watched Aelita think it over, chewing her lip as she thought.

"I see," she said finally. "So you won't mind if we go shopping?"

"I won't," Yumi agreed with a smile. "Saturday at two?" Aelita beamed.

. . … . .

Yumi hesitated. She twisted to study her reflection in the mirror and smoothed the skirt again. There was a knock on the front door and she heard her mother call her name. She slipped her feet into her shoes and grabbed her purse before heading downstairs.

Will's eyes lit up when they saw her and she felt the beginnings of a blush stain her cheeks. He let out a low whistle. "You look great."

"Thanks," she replied.

Her father entered from the kitchen, attracted by Will's whistle. Hiroki trailed him. His face paled before turning red while Hiroki stopped and stared. "Go change."

She looked over at him in surprise and Will's grin was quickly smothered. "What? Why?"

"I won't have you dressed as some…some..." Her father seemed at a loss for words. He clenched his fists and rubbed at his face. "Go put on something decent. That black dress you have."

"This is decent!" she exclaimed. Hiroki snickered and she glowered. "Shut-up, runt." She turned to Will. "It's okay, right?"

Will looked uneasy. "I think you look great in everything," he said finally. He shot a cautious side-eyed look to her father.

"I thought you didn't like the black." She glanced down at the red dress she was wearing. It might have been a little shorter than her usual but it was hardly indecent.

"That's beside the point! Yumi, I'm not going to say it again."

"Say what?" her mother questioned as she entered the hall. She was fumbling with putting batteries in the digital camera, cursing softly in Japanese.

"Do you see what your daughter is wearing, Akiko?"

Her mother spared a look at her, and offered a smile. "Yes, doesn't she look beautiful?" Her father spluttered furiously. "Doesn't she?" She didn't wait for a response but waved Yumi and Will together. "I want pictures!" she exclaimed.

"Mom!" she protested.

"Beautiful?" her father managed to gasp. "Beautiful? Look at that hemline! Look at that neckline – not you!" he exclaimed when Will glanced at Yumi. "You keep your eyes and hands to yourself. ("Dad!" she protested angrily.) She should change this instant!"

"Hush, Takeyo," her mother snapped. "Our daughter looks like a beautiful young woman. Now, smile." She clicked the camera repeatedly, until Yumi was half blind from the flash.

"Okay, we're going, we're going to be late," Yumi said after the twentieth flash. She grabbed Will's hand, tugging him to the door. "Bye."

"Bye, Mr. Ishiyama, Mrs. Ishiyama. See ya, kiddo," Will called.

"I want you home by nine!" her father hollered as they crossed the porch.

"Takeyo," her mother sighed. "Eleven, Yumi. You're to be home by eleven," she called. As the door closed she heard her mother laugh. "Honestly, Takeyo, at least it isn't black. I was getting tired of her goth phase."

Yumi groaned, her head found Will's shoulder while his arm wrapped around her. "I'm not a goth," she groaned.

They crossed the street and he chuckled. "I know," he laughed. He kissed the top of her head and she smiled.