Astrophile

001

Another kick is all it takes for your small body to hit the tatami floors. This time, the impact causes your nose to bleed but your attacker doesn't stop just there.

One hit to the chest.....

And another one to the stomach.....

A punch to your side that you tried to defend....

And lastly, the attacker sweeps below your feet, causing you to loose balance and fall to the floor.

The elderly man who was watching at the side of the room hurries over before his grandson ends up killing you, "MANJIRŌ!!!"

The yell echoes through the empty training halls but the boy doesn't listen, "I said, that's enough!!!!" He grabs onto his tiny arms which saves you from Sano Manjirō's wrath. The boy always seemed to hate you, ever since you joined the dojo. He despised you, but you never understood why.

"Honestly, you're such a waste of my time [male name]!! At least fight back, will you?!" The blonde boy sneers at you, angrily. He hated that no matter how many times he would beat you up, you would never back away from a fight. He hated that no matter how he treated you, you always used to sit at the sides and watch him and Baji play around with a kind smile. He hated that smile of yours.

It pissed him off...

It pissed him off like crazy...

The hand that gripped his arm was the only thing that stopped him from beating you up again. His grandfather would always intervene in the last minute, but even then, you acted like it was nothing. Like nothing he did would hurt you. Your smugness pissed him off.

"[male name], go put some ice on that... " The old man ordered, and almost like a robot, you complied. You never winced or hissed at the pain, you would just walk away.

And that's what pissed Manjirō off so much...

On your way to get some ice, you had encountered Shinichirō, Manjirō's older brother by 10 years. The younger boy seemed to respect him a lot. And you could see why, despite not being the most amazing fighter, Shinichirō was a kind and sympathetic person, who despite being a delinquent, was nothing like the good-for-nothings that were the reason why your mother enrolled you into this dojo.

Apparently on your way back from school, a bunch of middle schoolers ganged up on you. There were about 15-20 of them, so you couldn't have won, even if you had tried. That was the sole reason why your mother put you here. She didn't want a weakling son...

But that was the problem, you weren't her son...

You were her daughter, and in her obsession to have a son, she forced you to dress and act like one. She wanted to turn you into the carbon-copy of your brother, who was in the custody of your father after your parents' divorce.

Anyways, the ravenette crouched down to your level and gave you a concerned smile, "Manjirō again, huh?"

Your eyes bore into his, sending chills up his spine when he looked at them. They never failed to scare him. After all, who wouldn't be scared of a toddler with the eyes of the dead.

"Who else is so eager to beat me up, Sano-san??" He shot a smile your way as he got back up and held your hand tightly, leading you to the refrigerator where they had the ice, "I'm really sorry about him, kiddo... Also, how many times do I have to tell you, just call me Shinichiro-niisan, or Shin-nii like Manjirō!!!"

You liked Shinichirō. He seemed to care about you a lot for someone who was related to the boy who despised your mere presence.

You responded by simply tightening your grip around his hand, making him smile. You were definitely one of the cutest kids he had ever met. He could never understand the subject of Manjirō's hatred towards you, because Shinichirō seemed to like you quite a bit.

He knew that he was getting way too attached to you, but honestly how could he not?!? You were just so cute, so timid and only spoke when someone spoke to you. You definitely looked way too feminine but he figured that all children looked feminine. Your features were very dainty and your doe eyes made it easy for him to like you.

Also, has someone seen you eat?! You eat in the most adorable fashion he has ever seen!! You look the absolute cutest!! Your cheeks remind him of a chipmunk and by God, if you didn't have any guardians, he would have long made his Grandpa adopt you!!!

"Sano-san, are you okay??" A small voice pulled him out of his fanboying session. He snapped his head towards you and have you a reassuring smile, "Peachy, kiddo!!! Now let's get you some ice!!! "

You nodded and again, he started gushing over how cute you were. This was gonna be a long day....

Once he got you the ice, he cleaned up your dried blood and placed the ice pack on your nose. He made you tilt your head up and when you were done, he let you handle the ice pack and began to clean up, throwing away the bloody towels.

"You're a really cute child, has anyone ever told you that?!" He questioned, as he put away the ice box.

"Not really....." You were unsure on how to answer but Shinichirō pat your head in return, "Wish I had you as my sibling... Manjirō can be a bit hard to deal with, especially since he's so full of himself..." The older boy let out a sigh but quickly replaced it with a kind grin.

"Feelin' better?!" He asked and you nodded, making him smile, "Made any friends at school?!" He tried to keep the conversation going, after all he seemed to enjoy talking to you.

It took you some time to think, but you answered nonetheless, "I made one.... her name is Yuki... ". Your words made the boy smile as proudness seeped through him, "Is that so?! What's she like?!"

A small smile tugs at your lips as you think about Yuki, "She's nice... and we always eat ice cream together after school..." Seeing you happy makes the eldest Sano sibling feel a sense of accomplishment.

He guesses that talking about your new friend must make you happy, "Really?! What flavour do you like?!" He happily chimes, happy to know that you at least have one friend to enjoy your childhood with.

"I like [favourite flavour].... what about you, Sano-san??" He pouts at your words, "Oh, come on!! Just call me Shinichiro-nii or something!!" He huffs and you smile at his funny expressions, but he answers regardless, "Hmm, I guess Cookies n' Cream.... or maybe just Chocolate... but sometimes I like to get Vanilla, or maybe even Mango or Green Tea flavour, ugh!! I can't decide on one!!"

Sometimes he acts childish, more so than you. But you like him, because without him... you're not sure if you would have survived.