Prince of Tennis: Ibu Shinji, 011: Red
Title: Shades of You
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Ibu Shinji, Kamio Akira, Ishida Tetsu
Prompt: 011: Red
Word Count: 3,080
Rating: G
Summary: Shinji tries to find Kamio’s hair color
Author's Notes: Shinji is using the colors found on the chart here
Main table can be found here
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“What color do you call this, anyway?”
Kamio twitched away from where Shinji was playing with a lock of his hair. “It’s red,” he said, in a tone of voice that made it clear that he doubted Shinji’s sanity.
Shinji would’ve been the first to tell Kamio that sanity was overrated. “It’s not “just red,” Akira.” To prove his point, Shinji fished in a box of crayons that they were sharing and pulled the red one out. “This is red.” He grabbed a scrap piece of paper and colored a line on it, then held it up to Kamio’s hair. “You hair does not match this color.”
Kamio ducked away from the paper. “My hair is also not a wax crayon,” he pointed out. “Shinji, it’s red. Get over it and move on. We have to finish up this project.”
“Fine, fine,” Shinji muttered as he turned back to the book in front of him, but his mind was still turning the issue over and over.
*~*~*~*
Three days after that conversation, Shinji snuck up on Kamio during lunch.
Kamio saw Shinji coming. When someone knew Shinji well, it was hard for Shinji to sneak up on them, but Kamio didn’t mind keeping up the illusion that Shinji could fool him. So he focused on his lunch, ready to act surprised when Shinji decided to “reveal” his presence.
There was nothing for a minute, then Kamio felt the brush of cold metal against the back of his neck. That shocked him, and Kamio jumped up, whirling to stare accusingly at Shinji. “What the hell was that!?”
Shinji tried to hide his hands behind his back. “Nothing….”
“Nothing my ass!” Kamio reached out to grab Shinji’s wrists, pulling them so he could see what Shinji was clutching. In one hand, Shinji held a pair of scissors, and in the other…. “You cut my hair?” Kamio was taken aback.
Shinji had the grace to look a little sheepish as he muttered, “I had to….”
“You had to?” Kamio blinked and shook his head, trying to make sense of that. “Was there something about my hair that was offensive to you?”
“No!” Shinji shook his head. “I just…needed something to compare….”
“Compare to what?” When no answer was forthcoming, Kamio pressed. “Shinji? Compare to what, exactly?”
Shinji looked down. “I really want to know your hair color,” he said softly, feeling embarrassed and slightly ashamed.
Kamio frowned for a second, feeling like he was missing something, until he remembered the conversation they had had a few days ago. “Shinji. You’re still fixated on that?”
“I need to know.” The set of Shinji’s jaw was firm, and Kamio could see the stubbornness in Shinji’s eyes.
“Fine!” Kamio threw up his arms, giving up the argument. “Just…tell me if you need any more samples? No more sneaking with scissors.”
Shinji nodded. “I will. I’m sorry, Akira….” Shinji trailed off into mumbling, about how Kamio was such a good and understanding friend, and how he’d be happy to finally know what color hair he had…..
Kamio tuned Shinji out as he sat back down to his lunch. It was kind of funny, Shinji wanting to know his hair color. He figured it would last a week, two tops, before Shinji would move on to something else.
*~*~*~*~*
The next week, Shinji slid into his seat next to Kamio. “It’s not cinnamon.”
Kamio blinked, his mind still slightly clouded with sleep. “What isn’t?” His eyes searched Shinji’s hands and desk for some sign of candy or food, the only things he could associate with the word “cinnamon.”
“You hair. I thought it might be, but cinnamon is too brown.” Shinji reached into his bag and pulled out a notebook. “Did you understand number twelve in the science homework?”
Kamio blinked. And blinked again. “Not cinnamon?”
“No. Too brown. Did you get chlorine for the answer? I’m not sure if it was chlorine or carbon, but carbon didn’t make much sense, and I’m pretty sure that Cl is chlorine….”
Kamio shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re going through with his,” he muttered, but got out his notebook all the same so they could compare answers.
*~*~*~*~*~*
It was another two weeks before the next update. This time it came while they were sitting in a park, the late spring sun beating down on them as they licked at ice cream cones and talked about their classmates. “…and that shade of green really isn’t Kyoko-chan’s color, and the bow was too big for her head. Oh, your hair isn’t coppertone.” Shinji’s running commentary picked up his criticism of Kyoko’s outfit again, but Kamio’s mind had stopped working a few sentences ago.
“Wait.” Kamio’s forehead scrunched up in concentration. “Say that again?”
Shinji looked puzzled as he repeated, “I said, that skirt that Kyoko-chan was wearing was much too short. You don’t agree?”
Kamio blushed a little, both at having been caught not paying attention and at the memory of Kyoko’s skirt. “No, the part about my hair.”
“Oh, that. Your hair isn’t coppertone. It’s too…orange, to match your shade.”
“Okay….” Kamio just nodded. He was surprised that Shinji had kept up this project, honestly…and he hated to admit it, but he was starting to be curious as to what his hair color actually was.
*~*~*~*~*~*
A month later, Shinji was staring at Kamio as he ducked his head under a water fountain, trying to cool off. “You know…now your hair is almost plum brown, but it’s too dark when your hair is dry, so I guess that isn’t your color either.”
Kamio almost banged his head against the faucet as he pulled back to stare at Shinji. “Where are you coming up with these colors?” he asked, his curiosity finally overcoming his reluctance to know more about this project of Shinji’s.
“Hair dye,” Shinji replied matter-of-factly. “When I have the money, I buy a bottle, and test the color.”
“Test? On what?” Kamio’s eyes darted to Shinji’s head, but his color was the same purple-black that it always had been.
“I…bought some hair.” Shinji’s eyes fell to the ground. “From a beauty supply store. It’s designed to test colors, so I’ve been dying pieces of that.”
Kamio was amazed at the amount of effort Shinji was putting into this, to Kamio, rather simple question. His hair was red, and that’s all Kamio had ever thought. “And…what are you going to do when you find the right shade?” He had a sudden image of Shinji dyeing his own hair to match, then brushed it aside as ridiculous.
“Tell you. Are you done with the water? It’s my turn.”
Kamio wordlessly moved away from the water fountain and watched as Shinji wet himself down. Sometimes, I really don’t get you, Shinji….
*~*~*~*~*
School had started up again before Kamio got his next update. “It’s not flame. Which is a shame, because the color would’ve suited your personality.”
“What was wrong with this shade?” Kamio barely glanced at Shinji, most of his attention on his math book, bemoaning the person who had invented fractions.
“It’s too red. Almost like that crayon, and we already know that your hair is not crayon shade.” Shinji looked like he was going to explain more, but the math teacher walked in then, so Shinji had to focus.
Kamio suddenly loved math.
After the teacher walked out, though, Shinji picked up the conversation thread from where he had left it. “I don’t think crayons are accurate for judging color. They’re always too bright, too gaudy.”
Secretly, Kamio agreed, but he didn’t really want to continue the conversation, asking instead, “What are you going to do with all of this stuff when you’re done?”
Shinji shrugged. “I don’t know. Give it to you, if want it, maybe.”
“No thank you!” The idea of seeing all the failed attempts to match his hair color creeped Kamio out for some reason. “Just…no.”
“Suit yourself.” Shinji pulled out his literature book just as the teacher walked in, effectively ending the conversation.
*~*~*~*~*~*
They were walking home from school when the first snowflakes of the season began to fall.
“It’s early,” Kamio remarked with surprise as he stared up at the sky. “It’s only mid-November. I thought we were having global warming?”
“Maybe it took a year off.” Shinji tucked some hair behind his hair, and Kamio’s gaze was drawn to that.
“It looks like stars in your hair. Or really big dandruff flakes.” Kamio chuckled a little at that mental image.
Shinji glared. “Thank you, Akira.” He glanced at Kamio’s hair. “That’s all it looks like in your hair.”
“What color is it, anyway?” Kamio realized that he hadn’t had a color update in awhile, and he almost…missed them.
“I don’t know yet. I can tell you that it’s not berrywood.” Shinji shook his head. “It was close, but too brown in the end.”
“Good. I don’t know that I like that color name, anyway. God, what will I do if the color that fits me is something stupid like “simply strawberry?” I’ll never be able to show my face in public again!” Kamio flushed scarlet just thinking about it.
“It’s not like anyone else has to know,” Shinji pointed out. “Besides, the strawberry shades didn’t even make my testing list. They were all too blonde.”
“Too…blonde….” Again, Kamio was surprised by what came out of Shinji’s mouth. Really, nothing should surprise me anymore, he reflected ruefully as he reached to brush some of the snow from his hair. “I’m going to take your word for that.”
*~*~*~*~*~*
At Christmas, Shinji looked sad, and Kamio was immediately concerned. “Shinji…what’s wrong?”
“I failed.” Even Kamio, the class expert at deciphering Shinji, had to listen hard to Shinji to understand him. “I thought I would be able to, but I wasn’t, and I failed, and I don’t like failing because failing feels bad, and no one likes to feel bad-”
“Shinji!” Kamio grabbed Shinji’s shoulders and shook him a little. “Calm down! Now…how did you fail?”
“I wanted to be able to tell you your hair color for Christmas.” Shinji’s face was almost comically tragic. “But all I can tell you is what it’s not. Again.”
“It’s all right, Shinji.” Kamio smiled at his best friend. “I don’t mind. So. What am I not?”
“Today, you are not sparkling sherry.” Shinji tried to look a little more cheerful.
“And that is the best gift you could give me!” Kamio slung an arm around Shinji’s shoulders. “I don’t want to be “sparkling” anything, quite honestly.”
“All right….” Shinji finally cracked a small smile, and Kamio thought all was right with the world again.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Valentine’s Day came and went, and Kamio realized that he hadn’t gotten another color update in awhile. While there was a small part of him that was relieved by this, a larger part of him was sorry that he would never get a definitive answer to his question.
While Kamio knew that he should leave it alone, he found himself looking at Shinji as they walked home. “So…is my hair color just unmatchable?”
“Hmmm?” Shinji looked up from the book he had been reading-Kamio would give almost anything to know how Shinji could read and walk at the same time-and blinked as he processed the question. “Oh, no. Christmas tapped me out money-wise. I was just only able to get the next color yesterday. I’m going to test it this afternoon.” He looked at Kamio. “Do you want to come over and watch. It might be good for me, too, to have all of you in the room, and not just piece of hair….”
It was on the tip of Kamio’s tongue to refuse, but instead he found himself shrugging. “Sure, why not? I don’t have anything else to do today.”
With those words, Kamio found himself in Shinji’s bathroom, watching as Shinji rather expertly mixed up a bottle of hair dye. “So…what color today?”
Shinji tossed him the box without looking up from what he was doing.
Kamio read the label. ““Reddest mahogany red”? Where do they get these color names, anyway?”
Shinji shook his head as he applied the dye to a lock of hair. “I don’t know. Some of the names are more ridiculous than others. The reds actually made out better in that respect.” Shinji finished with the hair and set it aside. “It has to dry before we can see the color well.” He started cleaning up the bathroom. “We can work on homework until then.”
Kamio nodded as he followed Shinji back to his bedroom-then froze. “This is what you’ve been doing?” he asked, picking up what looked like a very large key ring filled with hair samples.
Shinji nodded and want over to explain. “This is your actual hair.” He picked up a red bundle separate from the rest. “Each of these on the ring are colors that I’ve tried. They’re all labeled with color name and number.” He held Kamio’s hair sample up next to the “coppertone” sample. “And then I compare. See? I told you this one was too orange.”
“Wow….” Kamio was impressed with the amount of work that Shinji had put into this project of his. “I can see that now. I was humoring you before, but…yeah.” He was still a little creeped out, too, but he could respect the effort that Shinji was putting into this. “So…math first? I’m really not getting it….”
The two worked on their homework until Shinji glanced up at the clock. “It should be dry now…hold on.” He left the room, coming back with the hair sample. He spent a minute labeling and recording the color, muttering to himself the whole time, before beckoning Kamio over. “Want to see how it compares?”
“Sure!” Kamio dragged himself upright and went to go join Shinji over by his window.
“Akira red verses reddest mahogany red….” Shinji held the two locks for comparison and considered for a few long moments. “What do you think, Akira?”
Kamio looked. Admittedly, he couldn’t tell much of a difference-red was still red to him-but…. “It doesn’t look quite right…I don’t know how, though…”
“It’s still too brown.” Shinji sighed a little as he added the failed sample to the ring, then started packing everything up. “Not by a lot, but…I will get this soon. It’s somewhere between the brown and the orange, so maybe….”
“Shinji.” Kamio didn’t really want to hear an analysis of his hair color, so he changed the subject. “What do you do with all the leftover dye, anyway?”
Shinji looked a little sheepish. “Let’s just say…my sisters have a lot of red-haired dolls now….”
Kamio was sorry that he had asked.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Winter faded into spring. A year had passed since Shinji started on his quest, and he still hadn’t found the answer yet. He had hoped to have it, but things kept getting in his way-first the flu, then end of term exams-and he had stalled on his project. He had the bottle, he just needed the time to do it.
And now he was going to have it.
The new school term had started a couple weeks ago, and even Shinji was finding sixth grade a challenge. He had been spending a lot of time on his homework, but now…now he was going to find out the answer. If it wasn’t this shade…then he was going to have to give up. Shinji was running out of reds to test.
Waving a goodbye to Kamio and their new friend, Ishida, Shinji took off for home, dumped his books in his room. He was impatient as he mixed, dyed, and waited for it to dry; anxious to the point that even his sisters, who were used to Shinji’s distracted mutterings, were begging Shinji to shut up.
But…when it was all over….
Shinji grinned and put that lock of hair carefully in his bag. Finally, he had an answer.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Kamio was talking to Ishida when a Shinji-shaped whirlwind came flying into the classroom. Breathlessly, he slammed a piece of red hair onto Kamio’s desk.
Ishida was stunned into silence. Even Kamio, who had a clue about what Shinji was doing, was taken aback. “Shinji…what is…?”
“This. Is your hair color.” Picking it up, Shinji held the selection next to Kamio’s head. “What do you think, Ishida-kun?”
Ishida gamely studied it. “It’s identical. I didn’t realize you were cutting Kamio-kun’s hair.”
“Only the one time.” Shinji handed the sample to Kamio, who just stared down at it. “But…I finally did it! I know what color your hair is now, Akira.”
“Are you going to share it with me?” Kamio actually found himself anticipating the answer. He had been living with this obsession of Shinji’s long enough to be honestly curious as to the results. “Please tell me it’s not some girly name….”
“No. I thought I told you, the more girly names were too blonde for you. Although maybe I didn’t tell you that and I just thought it, it’s hard to remember what I have and haven’t told you, though I know I’ve told you some of the colors that you aren’t, but I don’t know if you were listening or not, so-”
“Shinji! Get to the point!” Kamio was starting to lose his patience.
“Red oak.” Shinji fell silent.
“Red oak….” Kamio stared down at the piece of hair in his hand. “My hair is…red oak.”
“I like it,” Ishida commented. He was well and truly lost, but was willing to play along. “A tree. Sturdy and strong.”
Kamio nodded slowly. “I think I like it, too.”
“Good.” Shinji took his seat. “I’m glad that you’re happy with that.”
“Shinji…what are you going to do with all of that stuff now?” Kamio was curious. It seemed a shame to just throw away a year’s worth of work.
“I’m going to keep it, of course. What if I meet another redhead? I’m going to have to know what color their hair is, you know.” Shinji took out his books and faced forward as their teacher entered the room.
Kamio and Ishida just exchanged looks before Ishida shook his head and focused on the teacher.
Kamio was very sorry that he had asked. But, he was getting used to that feeling, really.
It just came with the territory that was Ibu Shinji.
--The End--
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Ibu Shinji, Kamio Akira, Ishida Tetsu
Prompt: 011: Red
Word Count: 3,080
Rating: G
Summary: Shinji tries to find Kamio’s hair color
Author's Notes: Shinji is using the colors found on the chart here
Main table can be found here
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“What color do you call this, anyway?”
Kamio twitched away from where Shinji was playing with a lock of his hair. “It’s red,” he said, in a tone of voice that made it clear that he doubted Shinji’s sanity.
Shinji would’ve been the first to tell Kamio that sanity was overrated. “It’s not “just red,” Akira.” To prove his point, Shinji fished in a box of crayons that they were sharing and pulled the red one out. “This is red.” He grabbed a scrap piece of paper and colored a line on it, then held it up to Kamio’s hair. “You hair does not match this color.”
Kamio ducked away from the paper. “My hair is also not a wax crayon,” he pointed out. “Shinji, it’s red. Get over it and move on. We have to finish up this project.”
“Fine, fine,” Shinji muttered as he turned back to the book in front of him, but his mind was still turning the issue over and over.
*~*~*~*
Three days after that conversation, Shinji snuck up on Kamio during lunch.
Kamio saw Shinji coming. When someone knew Shinji well, it was hard for Shinji to sneak up on them, but Kamio didn’t mind keeping up the illusion that Shinji could fool him. So he focused on his lunch, ready to act surprised when Shinji decided to “reveal” his presence.
There was nothing for a minute, then Kamio felt the brush of cold metal against the back of his neck. That shocked him, and Kamio jumped up, whirling to stare accusingly at Shinji. “What the hell was that!?”
Shinji tried to hide his hands behind his back. “Nothing….”
“Nothing my ass!” Kamio reached out to grab Shinji’s wrists, pulling them so he could see what Shinji was clutching. In one hand, Shinji held a pair of scissors, and in the other…. “You cut my hair?” Kamio was taken aback.
Shinji had the grace to look a little sheepish as he muttered, “I had to….”
“You had to?” Kamio blinked and shook his head, trying to make sense of that. “Was there something about my hair that was offensive to you?”
“No!” Shinji shook his head. “I just…needed something to compare….”
“Compare to what?” When no answer was forthcoming, Kamio pressed. “Shinji? Compare to what, exactly?”
Shinji looked down. “I really want to know your hair color,” he said softly, feeling embarrassed and slightly ashamed.
Kamio frowned for a second, feeling like he was missing something, until he remembered the conversation they had had a few days ago. “Shinji. You’re still fixated on that?”
“I need to know.” The set of Shinji’s jaw was firm, and Kamio could see the stubbornness in Shinji’s eyes.
“Fine!” Kamio threw up his arms, giving up the argument. “Just…tell me if you need any more samples? No more sneaking with scissors.”
Shinji nodded. “I will. I’m sorry, Akira….” Shinji trailed off into mumbling, about how Kamio was such a good and understanding friend, and how he’d be happy to finally know what color hair he had…..
Kamio tuned Shinji out as he sat back down to his lunch. It was kind of funny, Shinji wanting to know his hair color. He figured it would last a week, two tops, before Shinji would move on to something else.
*~*~*~*~*
The next week, Shinji slid into his seat next to Kamio. “It’s not cinnamon.”
Kamio blinked, his mind still slightly clouded with sleep. “What isn’t?” His eyes searched Shinji’s hands and desk for some sign of candy or food, the only things he could associate with the word “cinnamon.”
“You hair. I thought it might be, but cinnamon is too brown.” Shinji reached into his bag and pulled out a notebook. “Did you understand number twelve in the science homework?”
Kamio blinked. And blinked again. “Not cinnamon?”
“No. Too brown. Did you get chlorine for the answer? I’m not sure if it was chlorine or carbon, but carbon didn’t make much sense, and I’m pretty sure that Cl is chlorine….”
Kamio shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re going through with his,” he muttered, but got out his notebook all the same so they could compare answers.
*~*~*~*~*~*
It was another two weeks before the next update. This time it came while they were sitting in a park, the late spring sun beating down on them as they licked at ice cream cones and talked about their classmates. “…and that shade of green really isn’t Kyoko-chan’s color, and the bow was too big for her head. Oh, your hair isn’t coppertone.” Shinji’s running commentary picked up his criticism of Kyoko’s outfit again, but Kamio’s mind had stopped working a few sentences ago.
“Wait.” Kamio’s forehead scrunched up in concentration. “Say that again?”
Shinji looked puzzled as he repeated, “I said, that skirt that Kyoko-chan was wearing was much too short. You don’t agree?”
Kamio blushed a little, both at having been caught not paying attention and at the memory of Kyoko’s skirt. “No, the part about my hair.”
“Oh, that. Your hair isn’t coppertone. It’s too…orange, to match your shade.”
“Okay….” Kamio just nodded. He was surprised that Shinji had kept up this project, honestly…and he hated to admit it, but he was starting to be curious as to what his hair color actually was.
*~*~*~*~*~*
A month later, Shinji was staring at Kamio as he ducked his head under a water fountain, trying to cool off. “You know…now your hair is almost plum brown, but it’s too dark when your hair is dry, so I guess that isn’t your color either.”
Kamio almost banged his head against the faucet as he pulled back to stare at Shinji. “Where are you coming up with these colors?” he asked, his curiosity finally overcoming his reluctance to know more about this project of Shinji’s.
“Hair dye,” Shinji replied matter-of-factly. “When I have the money, I buy a bottle, and test the color.”
“Test? On what?” Kamio’s eyes darted to Shinji’s head, but his color was the same purple-black that it always had been.
“I…bought some hair.” Shinji’s eyes fell to the ground. “From a beauty supply store. It’s designed to test colors, so I’ve been dying pieces of that.”
Kamio was amazed at the amount of effort Shinji was putting into this, to Kamio, rather simple question. His hair was red, and that’s all Kamio had ever thought. “And…what are you going to do when you find the right shade?” He had a sudden image of Shinji dyeing his own hair to match, then brushed it aside as ridiculous.
“Tell you. Are you done with the water? It’s my turn.”
Kamio wordlessly moved away from the water fountain and watched as Shinji wet himself down. Sometimes, I really don’t get you, Shinji….
*~*~*~*~*
School had started up again before Kamio got his next update. “It’s not flame. Which is a shame, because the color would’ve suited your personality.”
“What was wrong with this shade?” Kamio barely glanced at Shinji, most of his attention on his math book, bemoaning the person who had invented fractions.
“It’s too red. Almost like that crayon, and we already know that your hair is not crayon shade.” Shinji looked like he was going to explain more, but the math teacher walked in then, so Shinji had to focus.
Kamio suddenly loved math.
After the teacher walked out, though, Shinji picked up the conversation thread from where he had left it. “I don’t think crayons are accurate for judging color. They’re always too bright, too gaudy.”
Secretly, Kamio agreed, but he didn’t really want to continue the conversation, asking instead, “What are you going to do with all of this stuff when you’re done?”
Shinji shrugged. “I don’t know. Give it to you, if want it, maybe.”
“No thank you!” The idea of seeing all the failed attempts to match his hair color creeped Kamio out for some reason. “Just…no.”
“Suit yourself.” Shinji pulled out his literature book just as the teacher walked in, effectively ending the conversation.
*~*~*~*~*~*
They were walking home from school when the first snowflakes of the season began to fall.
“It’s early,” Kamio remarked with surprise as he stared up at the sky. “It’s only mid-November. I thought we were having global warming?”
“Maybe it took a year off.” Shinji tucked some hair behind his hair, and Kamio’s gaze was drawn to that.
“It looks like stars in your hair. Or really big dandruff flakes.” Kamio chuckled a little at that mental image.
Shinji glared. “Thank you, Akira.” He glanced at Kamio’s hair. “That’s all it looks like in your hair.”
“What color is it, anyway?” Kamio realized that he hadn’t had a color update in awhile, and he almost…missed them.
“I don’t know yet. I can tell you that it’s not berrywood.” Shinji shook his head. “It was close, but too brown in the end.”
“Good. I don’t know that I like that color name, anyway. God, what will I do if the color that fits me is something stupid like “simply strawberry?” I’ll never be able to show my face in public again!” Kamio flushed scarlet just thinking about it.
“It’s not like anyone else has to know,” Shinji pointed out. “Besides, the strawberry shades didn’t even make my testing list. They were all too blonde.”
“Too…blonde….” Again, Kamio was surprised by what came out of Shinji’s mouth. Really, nothing should surprise me anymore, he reflected ruefully as he reached to brush some of the snow from his hair. “I’m going to take your word for that.”
*~*~*~*~*~*
At Christmas, Shinji looked sad, and Kamio was immediately concerned. “Shinji…what’s wrong?”
“I failed.” Even Kamio, the class expert at deciphering Shinji, had to listen hard to Shinji to understand him. “I thought I would be able to, but I wasn’t, and I failed, and I don’t like failing because failing feels bad, and no one likes to feel bad-”
“Shinji!” Kamio grabbed Shinji’s shoulders and shook him a little. “Calm down! Now…how did you fail?”
“I wanted to be able to tell you your hair color for Christmas.” Shinji’s face was almost comically tragic. “But all I can tell you is what it’s not. Again.”
“It’s all right, Shinji.” Kamio smiled at his best friend. “I don’t mind. So. What am I not?”
“Today, you are not sparkling sherry.” Shinji tried to look a little more cheerful.
“And that is the best gift you could give me!” Kamio slung an arm around Shinji’s shoulders. “I don’t want to be “sparkling” anything, quite honestly.”
“All right….” Shinji finally cracked a small smile, and Kamio thought all was right with the world again.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Valentine’s Day came and went, and Kamio realized that he hadn’t gotten another color update in awhile. While there was a small part of him that was relieved by this, a larger part of him was sorry that he would never get a definitive answer to his question.
While Kamio knew that he should leave it alone, he found himself looking at Shinji as they walked home. “So…is my hair color just unmatchable?”
“Hmmm?” Shinji looked up from the book he had been reading-Kamio would give almost anything to know how Shinji could read and walk at the same time-and blinked as he processed the question. “Oh, no. Christmas tapped me out money-wise. I was just only able to get the next color yesterday. I’m going to test it this afternoon.” He looked at Kamio. “Do you want to come over and watch. It might be good for me, too, to have all of you in the room, and not just piece of hair….”
It was on the tip of Kamio’s tongue to refuse, but instead he found himself shrugging. “Sure, why not? I don’t have anything else to do today.”
With those words, Kamio found himself in Shinji’s bathroom, watching as Shinji rather expertly mixed up a bottle of hair dye. “So…what color today?”
Shinji tossed him the box without looking up from what he was doing.
Kamio read the label. ““Reddest mahogany red”? Where do they get these color names, anyway?”
Shinji shook his head as he applied the dye to a lock of hair. “I don’t know. Some of the names are more ridiculous than others. The reds actually made out better in that respect.” Shinji finished with the hair and set it aside. “It has to dry before we can see the color well.” He started cleaning up the bathroom. “We can work on homework until then.”
Kamio nodded as he followed Shinji back to his bedroom-then froze. “This is what you’ve been doing?” he asked, picking up what looked like a very large key ring filled with hair samples.
Shinji nodded and want over to explain. “This is your actual hair.” He picked up a red bundle separate from the rest. “Each of these on the ring are colors that I’ve tried. They’re all labeled with color name and number.” He held Kamio’s hair sample up next to the “coppertone” sample. “And then I compare. See? I told you this one was too orange.”
“Wow….” Kamio was impressed with the amount of work that Shinji had put into this project of his. “I can see that now. I was humoring you before, but…yeah.” He was still a little creeped out, too, but he could respect the effort that Shinji was putting into this. “So…math first? I’m really not getting it….”
The two worked on their homework until Shinji glanced up at the clock. “It should be dry now…hold on.” He left the room, coming back with the hair sample. He spent a minute labeling and recording the color, muttering to himself the whole time, before beckoning Kamio over. “Want to see how it compares?”
“Sure!” Kamio dragged himself upright and went to go join Shinji over by his window.
“Akira red verses reddest mahogany red….” Shinji held the two locks for comparison and considered for a few long moments. “What do you think, Akira?”
Kamio looked. Admittedly, he couldn’t tell much of a difference-red was still red to him-but…. “It doesn’t look quite right…I don’t know how, though…”
“It’s still too brown.” Shinji sighed a little as he added the failed sample to the ring, then started packing everything up. “Not by a lot, but…I will get this soon. It’s somewhere between the brown and the orange, so maybe….”
“Shinji.” Kamio didn’t really want to hear an analysis of his hair color, so he changed the subject. “What do you do with all the leftover dye, anyway?”
Shinji looked a little sheepish. “Let’s just say…my sisters have a lot of red-haired dolls now….”
Kamio was sorry that he had asked.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Winter faded into spring. A year had passed since Shinji started on his quest, and he still hadn’t found the answer yet. He had hoped to have it, but things kept getting in his way-first the flu, then end of term exams-and he had stalled on his project. He had the bottle, he just needed the time to do it.
And now he was going to have it.
The new school term had started a couple weeks ago, and even Shinji was finding sixth grade a challenge. He had been spending a lot of time on his homework, but now…now he was going to find out the answer. If it wasn’t this shade…then he was going to have to give up. Shinji was running out of reds to test.
Waving a goodbye to Kamio and their new friend, Ishida, Shinji took off for home, dumped his books in his room. He was impatient as he mixed, dyed, and waited for it to dry; anxious to the point that even his sisters, who were used to Shinji’s distracted mutterings, were begging Shinji to shut up.
But…when it was all over….
Shinji grinned and put that lock of hair carefully in his bag. Finally, he had an answer.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Kamio was talking to Ishida when a Shinji-shaped whirlwind came flying into the classroom. Breathlessly, he slammed a piece of red hair onto Kamio’s desk.
Ishida was stunned into silence. Even Kamio, who had a clue about what Shinji was doing, was taken aback. “Shinji…what is…?”
“This. Is your hair color.” Picking it up, Shinji held the selection next to Kamio’s head. “What do you think, Ishida-kun?”
Ishida gamely studied it. “It’s identical. I didn’t realize you were cutting Kamio-kun’s hair.”
“Only the one time.” Shinji handed the sample to Kamio, who just stared down at it. “But…I finally did it! I know what color your hair is now, Akira.”
“Are you going to share it with me?” Kamio actually found himself anticipating the answer. He had been living with this obsession of Shinji’s long enough to be honestly curious as to the results. “Please tell me it’s not some girly name….”
“No. I thought I told you, the more girly names were too blonde for you. Although maybe I didn’t tell you that and I just thought it, it’s hard to remember what I have and haven’t told you, though I know I’ve told you some of the colors that you aren’t, but I don’t know if you were listening or not, so-”
“Shinji! Get to the point!” Kamio was starting to lose his patience.
“Red oak.” Shinji fell silent.
“Red oak….” Kamio stared down at the piece of hair in his hand. “My hair is…red oak.”
“I like it,” Ishida commented. He was well and truly lost, but was willing to play along. “A tree. Sturdy and strong.”
Kamio nodded slowly. “I think I like it, too.”
“Good.” Shinji took his seat. “I’m glad that you’re happy with that.”
“Shinji…what are you going to do with all of that stuff now?” Kamio was curious. It seemed a shame to just throw away a year’s worth of work.
“I’m going to keep it, of course. What if I meet another redhead? I’m going to have to know what color their hair is, you know.” Shinji took out his books and faced forward as their teacher entered the room.
Kamio and Ishida just exchanged looks before Ishida shook his head and focused on the teacher.
Kamio was very sorry that he had asked. But, he was getting used to that feeling, really.
It just came with the territory that was Ibu Shinji.
--The End--