Those Hard-Shelled Reptiles (OtohimexTaro oneshot)

Those Hard-Shelled Reptiles

"Hey, Piko. Piko over here." Taro held out a finger to the small turtle inside of the glass aquarium. He wiggled it above the turtle's head, smiling to himself as the animal watched steadily. The turtle that Taro had affectingly named Piko, after developing a slight crush on his favorite TV character whose name also happened to be Piko, was his pride and joy. He couldn't imagine anything he would ever love more.

Taro had always loved turtles. Maybe it was because they looked so wise, maybe it was because they didn't seem to get upset about anything, or maybe it was because he found their small faces and round shells to be cute. Either way, he had always adored them.

He'd met his first in a zoo at the age of around 3. He'd clambered haphazardly onto the fence to get a better look at the large tortoise behind rows of wood and barbed wire, much to his mother's chagrin. His eyes had sparkled as he watched the thing eat a hunk of lettuce and from that moment onward he had been hooked.

They could live hundreds of years. Hundreds. And that just piqued his interest more. He wondered what they'd seen throughout their long lifetimes. So much had probably changed since they had first hatched, he just wondered exactly how much.

He remembered sitting at the edge of the tortoise habitat and watching them move around at a crawling pace for hours. They didn't do much rather than walk, sleep, and eat. That fact alone was enough to bore most children into leaving and seeking out another animal that was 'more entertaining'. But Taro stayed.

He couldn't imagine an animal more fascinating than the giant reptile before him. And even after his parents dragged him home, he couldn't stop thinking about them. He begged his parents every weekend to let him go to the zoo. Sometimes they'd agree, but usually they wouldn't.

There wasn't a doubt in his mind that his parents were getting more and more agitated by the week when he continued to ask. Nearly five years passed before his parents snapped, telling him that they couldn't drive all the way to the zoo every single weekend just so he could sit on the ground and watch a turtle for hours.

He had been heartbroken, but as if fate was on his side, only a month later his home room teacher had announced that they would be getting a classroom pet. And then in an act that would set Taro's heart aflutter, the teacher placed a small plastic box onto her desk with none other than a very tiny baby turtle inside.

Taro wasn't sure how she had gotten one. It was a Red Crowned River Turtle, which if his research was correct, was one of the most rare and endangered turtles on the planet. Although he doubted anyone else in his class new that, and he refrained from telling them for fear someone from some animal rescue organization would take the turtle away from him and his class.

They were all given chores to take care of when it came to the turtle. Most kids complained, Taro did not. As weeks passed the children began neglecting the turtle and abandoned their chores all together. Taro didn't mind and eagerly stepped in and took on full responsibility.

He remembered the day when he'd first finally found a name that he thought suited the small and cute little thing. Piko. Its name would be Piko. And from then on he devoted every second he could to the turtle.

Taro chuckled, "Piko, I brought you some lettuce today. Oh, and not just any lettuce. I know this is your favorite." He grinned and dropped a heavy chunk inside. "It's the head. It took us nearly a week to use all of the outer layers and Mom threw it away, but I dug it back out for you and washed it off."

Piko nibbled eagerly on the hunk and Taro's smile couldn't have gotten any larger. He rested his arms on the edge of the glass and settled his chin on his hands. He could watch Piko all day.

Taro's love for the turtle in his classroom stayed, and it was only because of that that the teacher allowed it to continue residing in the back of the room. All of the other students had officially forgotten about the turtle, but Taro figured she knew how heartbroken he'd be if they got rid of it, and so she'd officially entrusted it to him.

It was his turtle now. Piko was his. Of course he couldn't bring it home. He knew his parents would freak and he'd get in more trouble than he'd care to think of, but it was his nonetheless. Even if it stayed at school, it was his.

No one cared about Piko, and certainly no one mentioned turtles, so it came as a startling surprise when one day he heard the word uttered right behind him.

"She won't mind, will you Turtle? You don't have anything to do and you're too slow to play basketball with us."

Taro peered over his shoulder from his place situated above the aquarium. The classroom was empty aside from four students. Three had backpacks slung over their shoulders as they waved and laughed to themselves as they left the room. The other was standing near the window, a broom in her hand and her back slouched.

"Hey, wanna join us, Taro?" he heard one of the students call back.

He smiled, "No, I'm good. Thanks though."

"Alright, suit yourself," said the boy as he walked out of the classroom.

Taro's attention swept back to the girl as she slouched over further and sighed to herself. They had just called her 'Turtle'. Although he wasn't exactly sure why. He scrutinized her carefully as she began slowly sweeping the floor, brushing scraps of paper and eraser fuzz across the floor and toward the trash can. He was almost positive he'd never seen her before.

On any normal day he would've shrugged to himself and gone back to tending to Piko, but something made him continue to stare. They'd called her 'Turtle'. He loved turtles, but he wasn't sure why she had been called that. She was short, and plump, and didn't look like she could run very fast but rather than that he couldn't think of another resemblance. He frowned slightly; kids were mean.

Whether it was because he felt bad for her, because she had been somehow named after his favorite thing on the planet, or because something about her made him want to smile and lend her a hand, he wasn't sure; but he shoved off of the aquarium and briskly made his way over to her.

She was having troubles, one of the bristles of the broom caught underneath one of the desks and he gently leaned forward, picking up the desk just enough so she could pull the broom away.

He saw her freeze in place. "Th-there was no need," she muttered to herself, picking up her sweeping again at a pace nearly double the one she'd been at before.

He smiled amusedly down at her. "Hey, would you like some help?"

Once again she stilled mid-sweep, her eyes darting up to his with hesitance. "N-no, I'm fine."

He frowned. "Why are you sweeping our classroom? You're not in this class."

The girl hunched over again slightly and picked at a splinter on the end of the broom. "I'm in the class next door though… and it's fine, really. They have things to do, and I don't… so it's only logical that I sweep instead of them." Taro's frown deepened and he promptly reached forward and snatched the broom from her grasp. "H-Hey!" she protested.

He held the broom high as she desperately tried to reach for it with a triumphant smile. "Nope. This isn't your classroom so you don't sweep. I'll do it; go have some fun." He expected to be met with a grand smile and a 'thank you' but instead she clenched her jaw, what he swore were tears springing to life in her eyes.

"I-I need to sweep, they left it to me, not you, and I need to make sure it gets done." By the look in her eyes Taro could tell that she'd masked another concern with her excuse. Something told him she didn't have anything fun to do, but she hadn't wanted to admit it.

So instead of calling her out, he humored her. "Alright then. You sit there," he said, pointing to the desk behind her, "and I'll sweep the classroom and you can oversee it to make sure it gets done." She started to protest but he held up a hand to silence her and lowered the broom to the ground to begin cleaning. "So, what's your name?"

The girl blinked, a flush of color that he didn't miss, sweeping across her face. "Otohime," she nearly squeaked.

He smiled to himself, a bit of a foreign feeling snaking its way into his chest. "That's a pretty name," he said nearly inaudibly.

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"Look look!"

Taro blinked, his daze and memories of the past officially swept away with the loud shout from his companion. "Hm?" he asked.

She jumped up and down slightly, leaning against the railing with all of her weight and pointing excitedly at one of the slowly moving animals inside. "Lookie, he's awake and he's going over there!"

A smile twitched onto Taro's face and he nodded, leaning onto the railing next to the girl and watching with a glazed expression as his favorite turtle at the zoo, which he'd named Liko, walked over to a bowl full of water. His gaze then swept to the girl next to him whose eyes were alight with a sort of excitement he hadn't seen anyone else have when it came to his favorite animal.

She'd changed so much, and yet to him she was still the same. Sure she was taller, older, skinnier, and guys ogled at her when they passed, but she was still the same round little girl that he'd somehow so easily fallen in love with.

He'd never dreamed that she would be as interested in the reptiles as he was, but much to his surprise and elation, she seemed to be… if not more so.

He couldn't remember the last time someone had called her 'Turtle', but the nickname still stuck in his brain, even if he didn't use it around her because he was nearly positive it would result in either a punch or a whine, and either way a very upset Otohime.

He didn't wish to upset her but he sometimes wished she'd accept the name. He called her 'Turtle' in his head, as an affectionate thing. It was his little nickname for her even if she never knew. Because turtles were his absolute favorite thing on the planet, well... second most favorite. They were surpassed by her, but by only a hair. And so one day he wished he could call her 'Turtle' and have her realize that it wasn't in mocking, but in the most loving way, passing the name of something he adored onto the person he adored.

Maybe someday she'd come around to it.