You are better than this

'Clink, clank, clink, clank.'

Sakura sighed, as the rhythmic sounds of metal against metal were heard, by each lift and drop of her dumbbell. She was in her room, after a long day of school. She would rather have trained in the locker rooms up on the 2nd floor, but it was almost the end of swim practice, and she had no desire to make a repetition of what had happened last time.

Setting down her dumb bell she leaned down to pick up her bottle of protein, wiping the sweat off her brow, thinking back to the day before. Asahina's fellow swimmers weren't as kind as she was.

Not that she wasn't used to it by now. The disgusted looks, the terrified faces, the ugly smirks.

Sakura was used to it… Hina wasn't. So yesterday when she had been in the locker rooms training and Hina came back from swimming practice, glowing and smiling a smile as bright as the sun itself, Sakura felt her spirit soar… at least until Hina's fellow swimmers walked in to the rooms too, and noticed her presence.

In true high school fashion the group had a leader. Hina might be the best swimmer, but it was one of the reserves, a girl named Hasagawa Hitomi who was the self appointed queen bee.

"Oh great, the Ogre is here, I wondered what smelled so bad."

Sakura ignored her, shooting Hina a small smile, telling her to ignore Hasagawa's words, as Hina scowled at her. Hina missed it.

"What's your problem with Sakura Chan Hitomi?"

"My problem is that such a prestigious school like Hope's peak let in something as unnatural as that she male freak."

Hina had stepped up, about to tell Hitomi off, when Sakura had laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Sakura?"

Sakura had risen from her chair and walked over to Hitomi, raging a good couple of inches above the now terrified girl.

It was always the same.

"I am sorry for taking up your space… excuse me."

And then Sakura had left, waiting for Hina to get changed before the two went down to the dining hall for some after practice donuts.

Sakura was used to it. She had heard it all before.

'She male, transvestite, Ogre.'

She was used to by now, the ignorant people who took one look at her and believed they had her figured out completely.

She was used to having to go to the headmaster with a premade copy of her birth certificate to prove her gender and avoid confusion.

She was used to being in class with one or two boys who wondered why she wasn't wearing the boys' uniform… she was used to it all. Sakura looked up as the doorbell rang.

Outside stood an ever smiling Asahina.

Sweet caring Asahina, who didn't see any of things she or the others saw. Sweet Asahina who on their first meeting had asked for tips on arm strength training… sweet innocent beautiful Asahina, who Sakura had understood that she loved almost a month into their first year.

Sweet beautiful gorgeous Asahina… stood outside her door, giving a smile so bright that it could outshine the sun, acting as if nothing was wrong, while nurturing a black eye.

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Hi there Sakura, training is done, you up for some donuts?"

Sakura didn't answer, simply took Asahina's face in her huge scarred hands, her thumb tracing over the bottom of her swollen eye.

"How did this happen?"

"Oh… this? Nothing much really, it was a simple accident."

Sakura looked at Hina who tried her best to seem nonchalant about it all.

"Asahina… please… tell me the truth, what happened?"

Hina's smile dwindled, and she looked to the ground. When she finally spoke, Sakura felt her heart drop like a stone.

"It was Hitomi's fault. When she saw that you weren't in the locker room after practice she… she called you a bunch of things and… it was awful… I yelled at her, I defended you, because I can't stand it when someone calls you those things… it's not fair… and then she continued… trying to make her words sound fair, like she had a right to say them… so I snapped… and I hit her… and she hit me back."

Sakura growled, rising from where she was crouching down to stand in front of Hina, whose eyes were tearing up.

"Hina… I have told you before to just ignore them… I am used to it, their words don't mean anything."

"STOP DOING THAT."

Sakura stopped as Hina yelled at her, the swimmer looking up at Sakura, scowling hard.

"Stop letting them win. You are better than this. Just because you are big that doesn't mean that you should let it happen. So what if you are a tad burly and have some scars, who cares… you are still you, and Hitomi had no right to say what she did."

Sakura looked down on Asahina, feeling her throat tighten.

How long had it been since she last got a compliment? How long since someone saw her as just her? Hina told her all of this, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

Whoever got Hina as their special someone, would be the luckiest person alive. Sakura sighed, laying her large hand on Hina's head, ruffling her hair, breaking the tension.

"I know you disagree Hina… but unfortunately the world isn't as pure and forgiving as you… shall we go and get some donuts?"

Hina, who still looked a tad defiant, brightened once again at the idea of donuts, following Sakura down the way to the cafeteria.

…

The two friends had been sitting and eating for nearly 10 minutes before the doors opened and Asahina's face paled. Sakura turned around just as Hitomi walked in the door, seeing the two.

"Oh great, there goes my appetite."

Sakura rose from her seat, ignoring Hina's small plea for her to calm down.

"You got anything you want to say Ogre?"

"As a matter of fact I do… call me whatever you want, throw all the dirty looks and spread as many rumors about me as you want and can, I don't particularly care. But if you go after Asahina one more time… if you dare to touch as much as a single hair on her head, I will stop playing nice."

For added effect Sakura crossed her arms, tightening her muscles making them appear even larger than they already were.

Hitomi huffed, looking at Hina, shaking her head. "This is your view of attractive Hina? You should have your eyes checked."

Hitomi turned her gaze back to Sakura. "Whatever… you two can go and do whatever the hell you want… just don't get me fucking infected with whatever the hell is wrong with you."

And with that Hitomi left, leaving a blushing Hina and a very confused Sakura. She turned to Hina who suddenly took a keen interest in her shoelaces.

"Hina… what did she mean?"

"I-I-I-it's nothing… really."

"Hina… please."

"When Hitomi… when she said all those things… I snapped… I told her everything I believed, everything I knew to be facts… that I admire your strength… your loyalty… your friendship. I told her that I couldn't imagine school life here without you, that simply being around you makes my day brighter… and that if I lost you, I didn't think I'd be able to go on… in short… I love you."

Asahina finally met Sakura's gaze, the small swimmer blushing deeply.

"I love you Sakura."

Sakura clenched her fists. Asahina felt the same? Of her?

"You deserve better."

Sakura's voice was strangely low and weak, Asahina getting up from her chair.

"I want you… there is no one better."

"Hina… I am flattered but… look at me. I am huge; I'm have more scars on my body than a zebra have stripes… I am a huge pile of muscles… I'm… I'm not… pretty."

Asahina walked over to Sakura, taking one of her huge hands in both of her smaller ones. "You're right… you're not pretty."

Sakura lowered her gaze, saddened of Hina's words.

"You are beautiful."

Sakura turned around again to Hina who smiled at her.

"I wouldn't change a single thing about your appearance Sakura Chan… because it's what makes you, you."

Sakura couldn't take it anymore, lifting Hina up in her arms, kissing her deeply, a kiss Hina was more than happy to return. As the two reached back to get some air Hina smiled at Sakura.

"Can you promise me something Sakura?"

"Anything for you Hina."

"Don't let the bullies win."

Sakura smiled. "All right… but only if you promise to not attack anyone on my behalf… I would hate for you to get in trouble over me."

Hina smiled and leaned forward, the two's noses touching gently. "It's a promise. So… how about those donuts?"

Sakura laughed. She let her new girlfriend down gently, letting her run back to the table, sitting down to munch on her donuts.

Asahina was right… no matter what people called her, she would stop taking it lying down… because that's what Asahina wanted… and as long as she had Asahina… nothing else mattered.

End