Ouran Drabbles

Chapter 6
Nekozawa Umehito

Nekozawa Umehito was well aware that he was different from other people. He learned this at a very young age when he ran into a room full of lit candelabras. As soon as the light touched his skin, he felt as though a thousand knives were stabbing him. He was on his knees, sobbing, in an instant. Kadomatsu immediately rushed to his side, scooped the boy up, and retreated into a dark room. Upon entering the darkness, Umehito felt the pain go away.

When he entered school, his female classmates crowded around him to stroke his silky blonde locks. No matter how hard he tried, Umehito was unable to escape their clutches.

In the confines of his dark room, Umehito stared at himself in the mirror. He frowned as he gazed upon his fair hair and bright eyes. He didn't like them. He wished that his hair was midnight black while his eyes would be a dark color instead.

Umehito confided in Kuretake about his wishes. Her eyes grew distant as she listened to him before she ran off. When she returned she held out a dark wig and matching cloak. She explained to him that he could wear a wig to cover his hair and the hood of the cloak would stop anyone from seeing his eyes. She then went on in great detail about a mysterious man in a manga who did this. While was reenacting the manga story, Umehito grabbed the items and went back to his room.

The next time Umehito went to school, he received odd stares from his classmates. To his glee, the girls went out of their way to ignore him. The boys teased him for his new appearance at first then they also ignored him. This made Umehito very happy because he preferred quiet and solitude.

When he became lonely, Umehito fashioned himself a companion; a hand puppet in the shape of a cat. After all, the Nekozawa family did worship cats at one point and still held them in high regard. He named his new friend, Bereznoff.

Bereznoff accompanied Umehito everywhere. They went to school together, around the house, even in the bathtub. Umehito loved Bereznoff. He was a reminder that Umehito wasn't alone; he had a friend.

When Umehito grew older, his parents told him that he was going to be a big brother. Upon hearing this, he was thrilled. Now he would have someone else to love other than Bereznoff. He loved Bereznoff dearly but he wasn't the best at making conversation.

Time passed and Umehito was finally a big brother to a baby girl named, Kirimi. Umehito informed his parents to keep Kirimi in a dark room so the light wouldn't hurt her. To his surprise the darkness made Kirimi cry louder. He didn't understand.

The Nekozawa family realized that while Umehito preferred the darkness, Kirimi loved the light better. This made Umehito very upset because he would never be able to play with his little sister.

He then made a decision; he would pray that his dear little sister would learn to love the darkness. So Umehito built a small alter in his room adorned with candles, skulls, and other things he liked. Each night, he would kneel before his alter and pray.

Despite his best efforts, his praying didn't seem to be working. Umehito then began praying for the day that he and his sister would be able to play together.