Author's Notes: Another story written for the Tsukimineshrine prompts over at Live Journal.
"I want you to write a two page essay about an object you find beautiful and why it is so. The object can be anything, a song, a person, a work of art..."
When the teacher announced the assignment, the class responded with a chorus of giggles and groans. They were sixth graders, were they not? The assignment, though fun, seemed altogether too elementary and on par with "What we wish to be when we grow up."
At noon recess, the girls gathered at their spot on the lawn and over lunch talked about their choices for the writing assignment.
"I should like to write about the original Grimm's Fairy Tales," said Naoko with hands clasped tight and a gleam in her eye. "The blend of fantasy, romance, and supernatural horror makes it one of the most influential literary masterpieces of all time."
Tomoyo chuckled as her best friend smiled nervously. Meiling went next. "I don't like the assignment, but since I have no choice I suppose I'll write about the mirror."
Sakura blinked. "The mirror? How is that beautiful?"
"Not the mirror itself, but the reflection I see every time I stand before it, which is undoubtedly the fairest of them all."
The group laughed at the bold suggestion which could only come from the martial artist, and for a short while several girls considered adopting the mirror as their subject. Sakura was the next to go, pondering as she gazed at the bento her father made. "I think I'll write about my mother."
And that, Tomoyo thought, was just like Sakura. The circle of friends nodded in agreement; Nadesico's albums, compiled from her various modeling jobs, were the object of admiration amongst the girls. The card captor then turned to the girl who had sat quietly beside her the entire time. "How about you, Tomoyo-chan?."
Tomoyo played with the straw in her juice box as she appeared to consider.
"Well, I was thinking of writing about Touya-san."
The girl with lavender locks did not speak her thoughts out loud, for that would have undoubtedly thrown Sakura-chan into eye-swirling confusion, and Tomoyo was not sure she'd be able to make her best friend understand why she thought her mean oniichan was beautiful.
It was plain to all that Touya was an exceptionally handsome young man—every one of Sakura's friends had at some point expressed their longing to have a similarly wonderful older brother. Tomoyo knew well his most attractive features from all the photos she took over the years; his large hands, fine chin, and perfect ears. But what drew her attention most were traits that lay beneath the surface—his rich range of emotion and the subtle expressions he displayed them through. He was cool by default and sparing with his affection. He was difficult to befriend, but to his few friends he was most thoughtful and considerate. He wore the same unsmiling expression ninety percent of the time and as time went on Tomoyo realized that his smiles became rarer and rarer. She knew he kept most of his thoughts to himself—a quality they shared—and gradually learned to tell when he was bored, annoyed, or brooding when all others saw was the same old look.
He was not like her sister; whereas Sakura was spring and sunshine, Touya's appeal was complex. His warmth was like that of short winter days; rare and all the more welcome because of it. His personality was not dazzling like her sister's, but comforting like the glow of a star-lit night.
"Since you asked… I think I shall write about you, Sakura-chan."
And so, as she smiled at the card captor's expected reaction, Tomoyo decided to keep the secret of Touya's beauty to herself a little longer, partly because the others would not have understood, partly because of the privilege she felt as one who possessed this unique appreciation for him.