He was my first kiss.
when i was in junior high, all the kids in my grade had theirs.
and they flaunted it like it was a battle scar of somesort.
kaoru-kun had his first kiss with nojiko-chan in class 2-10.
shiba-kun had his with michiyo-chan of class 1-3.
takane-kun had his with izumi-chan of class 1-5.
they talked about it often during little breaks of the class.
it never failed to pop out over lunch our parents packed us.
well, in my case, my brother packed me.
i dont remember my mother very much.
all i know is that she had the black wavy hair of my brothers.
and a deep black eyes she gave him and i.
i remember her presense too vaguely for me to recall her face.
i have never even seen my father.
Ace was only thing i had.
and it was enough.
one day, when the weather was slightly warming up, and the cherry blossoms started to
bud in our back yard, i asked my brother about his first kiss.
"Ace nii-chan."
"hey." he was busy fixing my bike.
"when was your first kiss?" i tried my best not to make my self sound like an idiot.
he slipped his hands on the chain he was fixing and cut his left thumb over a sharp edge.
"ow!" he yelped and grabbed his thumb.
his face was red.
"Shit. luffy, go inside and get me some wet towels, please?" he asked.
I ran as fast as my rubber body took me and retrived him the stuff.
"thanks," he said and wiped the blood off his thumb.
He stole a glance from me quickly.
"Luffy, has your friends been talking to you about this again"
I just looked at him with a shy grin.
"Yea. they did." Ace just sighed and examined his wound.
"Why do you care so much, luffy? things like that are not important"
Not..important?
"..whatever." I started off a dash into our house.
"Luffy!" He called but I didn't answer nor poke my head out the door.
I took a glance at the lone figure who soon got up to walk into the house.
I sat on the stairs, waiting for him to come inside and to lecture me abit about more important things in life.
he's just being stupid!
I'm thirteen years old, having my first kiss would be more important than no stupid..well, i dont know.
I just sat there, grumbling over things.
the front door soon opend, and my brother stood there with his arms crossed.
lecture me you bastard.
"Luffy." he called.
i turned my face away and crossed my arms in same fashion.
"Luffy." he called me again.
"Whhhat?" i dragged the Whaa and made a face.
"Do you like any girls in your school, luffy?" He asked.
"whha?? no!" I felt my face turn red and my stomach had a nasty turning feeling.
"than who are you going to kiss as your first kiss? you can't just waste that special kiss just to anyone." I looked at him. I knew he was right.
"Well Ace, Fuck you!! you think you know everything! you think you are always right! One day, when i Do become the king of the pirates i'm gonna prove that you are wrong about things! Yea!" I yelled and ran to the room that...i shared with him. Goddamit i dont even have my own space. i ran back out and passed him thorugh the door.
"Luffy!" he called again. he is always calling. Why is he always calling?
Doesn't he know how retarded it looks? a sixteen year old always taking care of his thirteen year old brother as if he is a child!! He is not My mother!
When i reached the shore i felt stubborn tears coming down my face.
i grimaced at them and wiped them away.
Stupid Ace!
He will never understand how i feel about this.. first kiss.
school dance was going to be held in a week or two and i dont even have a girl to go with yet.
I sat on the sand and wrote the name of the infamous pirate king.
i thought about the prettiest girl in my grade, amane-chan.
All the boys talked about it and so have i, but.. she wasn't pretty to me.
Why wasn't she pretty to me? Infact, why aren't any girls pretty to me?
What DO i find pretty?
I erased the name of the pirate king and wrote down the things i though were pretty.
..slab of meat, Cherry blosson buds, makino's smile, shank's scar over his eye, the sword shanks carry, Ace's hair, the bunny that comes and goes in the back yard, the sunset and rise over the ocean, this sand reminds me of ace's freckles, Ace's freckles.
I stopped and counted the names of my brother.
My heart skipped a bit when i realized that i had written about him far more than i had about other things.
Come to think of it, i realized everything about him was pretty to me.
He was so pretty to me.
I sat there in daze and let the wind move the sands around, erasing the things i wrote.
Foot steps were getting closer.
Familar foot steps were getting closer.
I turned to find Ace standing steps away from me. sweats beading around his temple.
"Luffy! dont make me find you every single time!" His words were angry but his voice wasn't.
"Ace. I figured out something real important today..."
"Well I did too! your report card came! You and i are having a LONG talk today!"
I stared at his face glowing orange from the sunset.
"Ace."
"What"
"I think orange looks very nice on you." I smiled at him.
He looked abit startled. and Confused.
"I made up my mind, Ace. You were right. I dont wanna waste my first kiss on anyone thats not special to me"
"Well. luffy. Im glad you took my advise. lets go home now." He came closer and pat my head.
I grabbed his face in my hands and pulled him to a chaste kiss.
I couldn't see what his face looked like at that moment but i imagine it to be quite funny.
"I think you are the prettiest thing i have seen in my life." I mumbled and fumbled but i knew he heard me.
I peekd at him standing dumbfounded and stiff.
he held one hand to his lips and covering the lower half of his face with it.
his neck was pretty red so i guess his face was red too.
I smiled and took his hand.
"Um..luffy. you...just took my first kiss." I turned around.
"What"
"You just Took my first kiss." He repeated.
"Dont worry ni-chan. i'll love you till the end! and i take back what i said about me being mean to you after becoming the pirate king. Im gonna let you wear my crown once in awhile!"
I was not entirely sure if he was happy or not.
But he held my hand and walked back home with me.
And he was smiling with me.
So i guess he was.
"Hey, Ace"
"Yes, luffy." He was making dinner and i was pretending to do my homework.
"Will you go to my dance with me?" A crash was heard and i found A very upset and amused looking Ace.
"No." He said.
"Aww. c'mon."
"I said, No."
"Please"
"No, Luffy"
"I'll be nice"
"Luffy"
"Acceeee!!! I Wanna take the girl who is the most special to meee!" I whined.
"Luffy."
"Hmm"
"I'm not a girl. infact, i'm your brother."
"Ohhh yea. ok than." i went back to my homework.
I heard him chuckling in the kitchen.
It was nicest sound to be distracted to.