A little short I just had to write... as always, relates into my "By The Roadway" series. I'll figure out what the date would be some other day... before AC175 obviously.
What do you do when Senior Prom is around the corner & you have a crush on Heero Yuy, the most popular guy in school? For Shiko 志功Mudo it's time to man up, take the chance!
Heero Yuy (Politician) X Shiko Tsukoto Mudo (an OC)
...Are you fan of the Lunar Prince? Let's hope we can find a few! ^_^
A Fan For Shiko...
Senior Prom for most girls was a thrilling festival of shopping, party planning & most of all: Boy gossip. All of these things were reasons to make it one of the most anticipated events at the High School on X11-374 for Shiko Tsukoto Mudo...
Except... he wasn't a girl... and that really put a damper on things for him. Especially since Heero Yuy (Mr. Perfect Class President) had yet to commit to a date.
The dilemma plagued him for weeks! It wasn't necessarily a secret that Shiko lacked the same attraction to the opposite gender that the other guys had. The overly affectionate relationship he had with the blue-haired Proto, 629, his father had let him pick out a few years back after discovering him engaged in rather intimate play with another boy, was hint enough.
At the same time the likely hood that he might draw more negative attention asking out the most popular boy in school, then admiration, was a distinct possibility. His father at the time of the incident having told him 'that sort of fooling around is not what is expected from a proper heir'.
Then there was the long time friendship he'd had with Heero that was also to be considered; how would he take the confession of Shiko's long quieted feelings? He'd always hoped there would be some sign, any sort of indication that he might have a chance. A few times he had convinced himself that he'd spotted a glimmer of interest returned from his secret crush, but late at night curled up in 629's strong arms, Shiko knew he was just kidding himself.
He let out a long sigh as the bell rang at the end of the school day signaling a flurry of papers and backpacks. It was 'now', or 'spend the rest of his life pining over what could have been'...
"Hey, Heero..." Shiko, dressed in his school uniform, nervously pulled at the end of his long black pony tail.
"What's up buddy?" he was smiling that friendly toe-tingling smile that could quickly win over a whole crowd as he packed up his own book and notes.
"Do you have some time? I... I was wondering if you could re-explain that last part? I always get mixed up when it comes to fractions..."
"Oh, sure... I was staying after to meet up with the girls, they wanted to go to the plaza to shop for Prom. Actually, Kairena wanted me to ask you if you were going to come?" they were already the only ones left in the classroom.
"I... I don't know... I think I'll have to check with 629 if there is anything on my schedule... but um... that reminds me of something else I... I wanted to ask you..."
"What is it?"
"Well... do you... have you...asked anyone to go with you yet?"
Heero blushed and scratched the back of his head,
"Kairena does seem a pretty obvious choice... but there was someone else I was kinda hoping might say yes..." he laughed timidly.
Shiko's heart leap into his throat as if already trying to crawl out and fling itself into Heero's arms,
"There is? R...really?" a sudden rush of dizziness almost over came him.
"I don't know, it's kind of silly... but I have always wanted to spend some time with Tiffany Williams," he laughed again, "...but she does already have a few guys asking her. I'd hate to cut the line."
"Oh..." Shiko felt like someone had suddenly turned the gravity on double. Heero obviously noticed his disappointment.
"Wait... why did you ask? Did you want Kairena to be your date? That might work out you know! Mikan would probably love the excuse to get out of looking all pretty and being social for once." Mikan was Kairena's science obsessed friend who was already studying for a career as a Molecular/Chemical Engineer.
"No, actually I..." Shiko swallowed hard and could only stare at their shoes, "...I was wondering if you'd want to go... with me." He braced for the worst.
There was a stunned silence as Heero's jaw hung open, the gifted public speaker destined to shape an age was at a total loss for what to say to his friend,
"Shiko... I can't do that. I... I don't like you like that... I mean –" whatever he meant didn't matter as laughter suddenly erupted from over near the doorway, a student who'd cut class and come in unnoticed to drop off that day's assignment before the teacher returned to grade them had just witnessed the exchange.
"Oh man! That is TOO rich!" He ran out the door way and within seconds a loud exclamation of 'What? You're kidding me!' could be heard in the hall.
It was Shiko's turn to stand in horrified, jaw dropping silence – this, was MUCH worse then he imagined it would be!
"Shiko..." Heero tried to think of something to turn the situation around, but it was too late as he was running out the door trying to make it home to safety before the entire population of the colony found out... most of his things still left on his desk.
...Shopping in the Plaza...
"Heero! This is terrible, you have to do something, he's your best friend." Kairena was riffling through the clearance racks, stopping every once in a while to pull a dress out to examine, then toss over the growing pile in Mikan's arms or reject back onto the rack.
"What was I supposed to have done? Said Yes? It's just too weird!" Heero was distractedly looking over the assortment of glittering items on the accessory rack.
"Well why don't you try thinking of it as if it were a girl? What would you do if you had rejected a girl and it resulted in public humiliation?"
"I guess I'd apologize and buy her flowers or something like that."
"Then maybe that something is what we should go look for while Mikan figures out which one of these she's going to wear!" Kairena had finished the rack and was reviewing the picked dresses on the pile. Mikan gave a long sigh.
"Rena? Seriously? I'd be more comfortable in a tux. I hear they are like lab coats, but with bow ties."
Heero snapped his fingers and pointed excitedly at Mikan,
"Maybe, you should!" He had to put a hand up to quell Kirana's furious glare, it had taken her weeks to get a 'maybe' out of Mikan who insisted she'd rather spend the time studying the latest journal publishing.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well... I mean... we were figuring that Mikan would go with Shiko anyways, right? So I'll find him something nice, say sorry and maybe he'll cheer up when he finds out he can still wear a dress... if thats what he wanted to do."
"And what about the entire school ridiculing him?" Kairena put her fists on her hips.
"Deal with that when we get to it?" Heero shrugged.
"I'm in!" Mikan dumped the whole lot into the cloths-return beaming, "In fact, I think one of my brothers already has one that will fit! So it looks like we're all done here! I can go finish my pre-thesis, right?"
Kairena sighed giving up her hopes of turning her friend on to the wonders of wearing something other then starched white lab coats,
"Oh, FINE! But only for Shiko's sake... what do you think would be a good apology gift?"
"Hey don't look at me! You're the shopping expert." Heero waved his hands.
They wandered down the street checking shop windows for a while; Oddly enough it was Mikan who spotted "it" in a Japanese Import Emporium...
...Tsukoto Masion X11-374...
629 came out to the courtyard of the large Japanese lord's style house where Shiko was sulking by the coy pond, and knelt next to him,
"Master Shiko, your friends are here to apologize if you wish them to. What would you ask them to do? May I direct them in?" his wide sandy colored eyes pleading. It always made him distraught whenever Shiko cried since he never could fully grasp why it would start, or what made it stop; just that his master was sad and he had not yet done enough to make him happy.
"They're... here? I suppose I'll see them..." He wiped away more tears with the sleeve corner of a silken Kimono he'd changed into from his school uniform once he'd gotten home. 629 nodded shortly and got up to go retrieve Heero and the girls from the front room. Shiko stood himself, brushing off the few bits of debris that clung to the Sakura and Sparrow patterned cloth and pulling his loose straight hair straighter; figuring, if he was going to be embarrassed he might at least wear what he felt most comfortable in.
Heero, Kairena and Mikan exchanged a surprised glance when they suddenly realized the girl waiting in the courtyard was Shiko. The fine features of his face had always made him seem rather feminine and without the standard slacks and jacket uniform his too thick wrists, ankles and flat chest were the only things that could give him away... that was, besides the unavoidable confirmation of the possession of a 'man-hood' between his legs, but that wasn't something usually seen outwardly now was it?
"Master Shiko, should I put your things away?" 629 was holding the books and papers that Heero had brought with him from the classroom.
"That would be fine, 629." he fiddled with the edge of the Obi, not quite able to brave looking his visitors in the eye and glad that he could hide his face behind the black curtain of hair.
"Go on, Heero..." Kairena pushed him from behind to urge him forwards. Mikan couldn't help cocking her head to the side still wondering at the spectacle of their friend in his natural environment. Heero cleared his throat and stepped up to the plate hoping to have the right words this time.
"Shiko, you are... a very beautiful man. I'm sorry I can't go to Prom with you. Please, will you accept this token of apology?" He held out a flat box about a foot long and only a few inches wide, bowing.
Shiko hesitantly reached out and took it, afraid of what might lay inside...
Opening the lid revealed a gold and black lacquer fan that had a gold chord and tassel affixed to it's grip to loop over the wrist, opening it revealed a spectacularly detailed Sumi-e of a Sakura branch highlighted with fragile pink petals on one side, and a pair of gold leaf accented Swallows flying past a bamboo branch on the other. His eyes welled up with tears again, but this time they were tears of joy.
"Oh Heero... Thank you so much..."
"Yeah, you're welcome..." he shifted uncomfortably scratching the back of his head again, "...but, now that we got that out of the way um... Well, Mikan was saying that she really wouldn't mind wearing a tux if you wanted to go as her date, would that work out? I mean...all four of us would kinda...be going together." he laughed nervously, "I mean how many guys can say they took three girls to the Prom at once, right?" he coughed again, his hopeful smile mirrored on the two other girl's faces.
In response Shiko threw his arms around Heero in an over-joyed hug; who just smiled sheepishly at Kairena and Mikan as he stiffly attempted to return the gesture without compromising too much of his own masculinity.
Heero & Kairena stood outside the entrance to the school gymnasium as the traffic of people arriving shifted by.
"Where are they? I hope Mikan didn't skip out on Shiko... that would be terrible." Kairena, in a black slinky halter-top dress with iridescent beads covering it, craned in her matching high heeled shoes to see over people's heads and try and spot the 'odd couple'.
"No, I'm sure Shiko is probably nervous. Knowing those two Mikan's probably trying to talk him into getting in the limo still."
"Ugh, yeah, using math or something dumb like statistics... like that ever helps anyone stressing out!" Kairena scoffed and Heero laughed lightly, "What?" she asked.
"Statistics is math, sweetheart."
"Whatever!" Kairena shot him a look saying 'my heel would be in your groin if it didn't mean risking a tear in my expensive dress.'. He grinned sheepishly back.
When they finally did spot the two, the biggest surprise was how UN-odd of a couple they were! Of the two, Mikan looked out of place with her tux's overstuffed chest and her girly short-cropped hair, Shiko however, was dazzling!
Dressed in a 14 layer Kimono, he had 8 inch platform sandals and an exquisitely folded Obi, his face was completely painted white with a kiss of red on his lips and a touch of glitter on his long lashes. To top it all off, his hairline from the base of his neck to his forehead, was allowed to hang free framing his face as the rest was pulled into a spectacular work of art, ribbons and hair were looped out of a bun-like nest formed around a triple set of chopstick 'branches' complete with colorful tiny feathered humming birds and butterflies accenting it.
...and of course he had the Fan.
When the time came to crown the Prom King and Queen, Kairena gritted her teeth glaring over at Tiffany Williams in her white short cropped 'Southern Bell' themed dress after Heero Yuy's name had already been announced. There was some sort of delay at the podium with an exchange of whispers and shuffle of papers between the teachers... when it came everyone was shocked by the announcement even though none of them should have been, because they'd all voted the same...
Shiko Tsukoto Mudo, as graceful as any female, was living that very fantasy that had burned like a candle of hope for many years now as he mounted the stairs to stand next to Heero Yuy; whom had the honor of carefully placing the tiara onto his head. The picture was complete as Mikan dashed up the stairs to hand him a bundle of white roses with a big grin on her face, Kairena clapping harder then anyone else giving Tiffany an evil smirk.
After the four left in the limo it was truly every bit the festival he had wished for... the girls even convinced Heero after a few shots in the back to give Shiko a quick kiss on the cheek, their cameras secretly ready to catch the moment...
But Shiko was faster with a flick of his fan to foil their plans... He didn't need a picture to remember that moment. ^_^