Character Sketch.
tygati inspired this.
Well ... it was fluffier than this in my head. Then the characters ran with it. (Happens to so many of my stories.)
It ended up on a weirdly foreshadowing note (this wasn't intentional. I wrote it, then thought on it and realized). Satoru is 17 and Toshiya 14 in this sketch. Toshi is adorable.
Didn't bother to edit it, so it probably suffers from a few horrible mistakes. Sorry?
The fireflies were out en masse tonight. Satoru stood on the back porch, a deep green yukata brushed against his ankles. It was silk, very soft, it made a soft whispering sound in the passing breeze. He took a deep breath. He was returning to the ESP boarding school tomorrow after a few day's vacation. His family was taking it hard, he had come outside to escape the oppressing atmosphere that lingered even after all had retired to bed.
The fireflies wouldn't last much longer. Autumn was coming, his seventeenth birthday. Another year before he'd be ready to enter the ESP proper. They'd already warned him he'd probably be sent overseas. He hadn't informed his family yet.
A soft sound from behind him in the night, the gentle crackling paper of shoji screen being careful drawn. Footsteps, soft and subtle. He turned. His oldest younger brother, Toshiya.
“It's late,” Satoru said. “Aren't you supposed to be sleeping.”
“You are too,” Toshiya said.
Satoru sat on the edge of the porch, Toshiya sat down next to him. It wasn't a cold night, even this close to the end of summer, but the breeze had a slight bite to it. Toshiya tugged on a yukata sleeve and snuggled closer.
Satoru sighed.
“You're leaving again,” Toshiya said, breaking the moment of silence. “Don't you like it here?”
Toshiya had only been ten when Satoru was first enrolled in the school, too young to understand why his favorite older brother was going away.
“I do,” Satoru said, and hesitated. It wasn't entirely true. He didn't feel comfortable anywhere anymore, not even at home. He wasn't going to try to explain himself, though. “I have to go to school. They'll make me by force if I don't, and then someone might get hurt.”
“We get hurt anyway,” Toshiya said. He hid his face in Satoru's sleeve. “Mama and Hisae-nee sometimes cry, but they don't want anyone to know. They don't know I found out.”
He had crawled even closer now, almost on his lap. It was a little awkward, although they were of similar build Toshiya wasn't that much smaller than Satoru anymore. He wrapped an arm around his brother instead.
“It's not forever,” he said. It wasn't, not this time anyway.
“Promise?” Toshiya whispered.
Satoru rather thought the boy was crying himself, but tactfully said nothing.
“Yeah. You can come after me if I break it.”
“You can count on it.” Toshiya hugged him back, tightly.
Well ... it was fluffier than this in my head. Then the characters ran with it. (Happens to so many of my stories.)
It ended up on a weirdly foreshadowing note (this wasn't intentional. I wrote it, then thought on it and realized). Satoru is 17 and Toshiya 14 in this sketch. Toshi is adorable.
Didn't bother to edit it, so it probably suffers from a few horrible mistakes. Sorry?
The fireflies were out en masse tonight. Satoru stood on the back porch, a deep green yukata brushed against his ankles. It was silk, very soft, it made a soft whispering sound in the passing breeze. He took a deep breath. He was returning to the ESP boarding school tomorrow after a few day's vacation. His family was taking it hard, he had come outside to escape the oppressing atmosphere that lingered even after all had retired to bed.
The fireflies wouldn't last much longer. Autumn was coming, his seventeenth birthday. Another year before he'd be ready to enter the ESP proper. They'd already warned him he'd probably be sent overseas. He hadn't informed his family yet.
A soft sound from behind him in the night, the gentle crackling paper of shoji screen being careful drawn. Footsteps, soft and subtle. He turned. His oldest younger brother, Toshiya.
“It's late,” Satoru said. “Aren't you supposed to be sleeping.”
“You are too,” Toshiya said.
Satoru sat on the edge of the porch, Toshiya sat down next to him. It wasn't a cold night, even this close to the end of summer, but the breeze had a slight bite to it. Toshiya tugged on a yukata sleeve and snuggled closer.
Satoru sighed.
“You're leaving again,” Toshiya said, breaking the moment of silence. “Don't you like it here?”
Toshiya had only been ten when Satoru was first enrolled in the school, too young to understand why his favorite older brother was going away.
“I do,” Satoru said, and hesitated. It wasn't entirely true. He didn't feel comfortable anywhere anymore, not even at home. He wasn't going to try to explain himself, though. “I have to go to school. They'll make me by force if I don't, and then someone might get hurt.”
“We get hurt anyway,” Toshiya said. He hid his face in Satoru's sleeve. “Mama and Hisae-nee sometimes cry, but they don't want anyone to know. They don't know I found out.”
He had crawled even closer now, almost on his lap. It was a little awkward, although they were of similar build Toshiya wasn't that much smaller than Satoru anymore. He wrapped an arm around his brother instead.
“It's not forever,” he said. It wasn't, not this time anyway.
“Promise?” Toshiya whispered.
Satoru rather thought the boy was crying himself, but tactfully said nothing.
“Yeah. You can come after me if I break it.”
“You can count on it.” Toshiya hugged him back, tightly.