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The prince fought through briar upon briar, thorns upon thorns until he finally made it to the top of the tower where his sleeping princess awaited. He awoke her with a kiss on her rose petal lips and they lived happily ever after. That is the story of the princess Briar Rose.
But what you are about to read isn’t the story of Briar Rose, Sleeping Beauty, or any other stereotypical princess tale. For the princess in this story is… well… you’re just going to have to find out for yourself.
The three were a tough looking sort. With their funky hairstyles and open shirts they looked very much like a common delinquent. The leader standing in the middle was a blond guy whose hair somehow stood up against gravity. He had bandages wrapped around his arms which he held before him ready to fight in what looked like boxers stance. To his right stood a shorter red headed kid with messy hair that shot out in all directions. He had readied himself in a fighting stance similar to that of Kempo. And to the leader’s left was a blue haired kid with dread locks who swayed dramatically in the wind, giving him an air of dangerousness.
“Well get you this time for sure!” The redhead shouted. “Won’t we boss?” He said looking up at the tall leader. The blonde’s only response was a sharp nodded.
“Hah! Yeah right! Just try me!” The girl shot back. Despite facing off against three tough looking delinquents, she didn’t look too bothered. In fact, she smirked as she crouched down getting herself ready for the fight. For this was quite a strange girl. A strange tomboyish girl named Kagura Azami who loved sports and fighting.
She dropped her bag on the pavement. It was as if this movement signaled the boys to attack. She sucked in her stomach in as the red head swiped at her middle. The boy with the dread locks punched at her face but she tilted her head to the side with a mocking laugh. The leader tried to sweep her legs out from underneath her, but missed when she jumped over his outstretched leg and landing on the dread lock boy’s face.
“You three are so slow!” She taunted and jumped off dread lock’s face and swung at the leader. The leader tried to dodge but ended up knocking into the red head who reached out to stop his fall for whatever he could get a hold of… which happened to be Kagura’s skirt. The three boys ended up falling into a bundle as they were tangled up.
“Hah!” Kagura said folding her arms standing triumphantly before them. “You have a long way to go before you can take me down.” She said, her laughing sounding like a snotty high-class woman.
“Kagura!” Came a sudden shrieked. She looked to the side to see her friend Asaka with her hand over her mouth looking at her in shock. “Oh hi, Asa-chan.” She grinned.
“Kagura! Your skirt!” Her friend pointed and Kagura looked down to see that the red head had pulled her skirt down. She was wearing shorts underneath but it was still an inappropriate looking scene.
Kagura’s eyes turned red. “Hey!” She growled. The red headed kid looked up to see that he was holding onto the girls skirt which now hung down to her knees. “Ah!” He yelled letting go as if he was holding onto a poisonous snake. Kagura pulled her skirt up and then put her hands on her hips leaning over the three boys who were still tangled on a pile before her.
“You perverts!” She said suddenly stomping on them. They cowered beneath her foot of punishment covering their heads in a vain attempt to protect themselves from her ire.
“Kagura!” Shouted Asaka as she tried to pull her enraged friend away the battered boys.
“Gah!” She yelled at them one last time. It looked like some strange comedy as the three delinquents crawled away from the tough talking girl. “Get out of here!” She yelled.
They got up whimpering and ran away. “We’ll be back!” The guy with the dread locks yelled back as he scrambled away.
“Yeah!” The tallest yelled behind him.
“Sorry about the skirt!” The red head blushed.
“The next time I see ya, I’m not going to go easy on you!” She yelled back at them stomping her foot.
“Kagura…” Her friend whined tugging at her sleeve.
“Nothing like a nice fight in the morning.”
“Why do you have to do such inappropriate things?” Asaka sighed.
“What? It’s fun!” She grinned.
“You could at least TRY to be a little bit more lady like. Girls don’t get into fights.” Asaka lectured.
Asaka Yanagi was Kagura’s best friend. She was a petite, short girl with cute curls in her hair. She was always keeping up with the latest fashions as well as the lives of celebrities. Even though the two were best friends they couldn’t have been any more opposite.
Kagura loved fighting and sports and was basically a tomboy through and through. Asaka on the other hand liked accessorizing, buying clothes, gushing over boys, cooking, and other stuff that typical girls should like. Even so, the two girls had met in middle school and had been best friends since.
It was because of Asaka that Kagura had decided to go to this school. The two didn’t want to get split up in high school so even though Kagura wasn’t rich or made outstanding grades, it was through luck that she was able to get into Briar High School. As it turned out, Briar High was in need of female students so she received a scholarship to get attend the prestigious school.
Kagura would have rather gone to a school that offered more sports related programs but Asaka had easily swayed her. Even though Kagura was a tough girl who loved to fight, she could never say no to her best friend, who was even now, Asaka was taking advantage of this.
“Sheesh, I can just turn it in for you.” Kagura mentioned.
“No!” Asaka yelped. She seemed to think this was a horrible idea. Kagura took the papers reluctantly. She never could say no to Asaka. Asaka was after all the one who suckered Kagura into coming to this school and now she was suckering her into something else.
Asaka was a shy girl who was entering in some sort of contest led by the student council. Some sort of drawing for a doll competition… or something like that.
“So the person who is picked gets a doll?” Kagura said crinkling her nose. What would she do with a doll?
“Not only that…” Her friend said excited. “They get to date a hunk!”
“A hunk?”
“Not that you’d understand.” Asaka said turning away in mock hurt. “But you know how I feel, Kagura! How else am I going get into the dating scene?”
“Dating scene?” Kagura wondered. Kagura didn’t understand. It was one of the things the two differed on. Kagura would rather play sports or beat guys up while Asaka would rather date guys or gush over them wistfully. Asaka was a boy lover while Kagura might as well have been a boy hater… though she wasn’t really… she just would rather play sports or fight them.
“So fill those out and tomorrow we’ll turn them in together.” Asaka said dreamily. “Imagine me? The object of affection for all guys of Briar High!”
Kagura rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She conceded as folded up the papers. She learned long ago that it was easier to agree with Asaka than argue with her. She crumbled the papers into her pockets as Asaka’s eyes bulged out of her head at the sight.
“Don’t just crumble them up!” Asaka exclaimed.
“Don’t worry. It will be fine.” Kagura tried to calm her friend down. “You’ll still be able to read it!”
Asaka’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not a question of being able to read it.”
“What time is it!?” Kagura suddenly yelled.
“Huh? Oh…” Asaka looked at her sterling silver watch. “Um… 3:35.”
“Oh no! I’m late!” Kagura said hurrying away.
“For what?” Asaka yelled after her.
“Baseball!” She grinned and ran off.
“Baseball?” Asaka crinkled her nose. She didn’t approve of her friends hobbies but Kagura loved sports so much it was useless to try to persuade her to give it up. “But there are only boys on the baseball team…” Asaka noted to herself. “Well… if Kagura makes it onto the baseball team then maybe she can introduce me to some of the hot baseball players!” She mused with hearts popping around her. After a moment of enjoying that little fantasy, the petite girl finally headed off to culinary club.
Kagura rushed to change out of her uniform and into shorts and a t-shirt. “I’m late! I’m late! I’m late!” She chanted as she headed down to the field. She didn’t see the boy who happened to be in the way. She leapt out onto the field only to land upon him…
Last year, he had vowed to not be so average as he and his two best friends worked to find their place in Briar High. During the first week of school they had formed their own little trio of average guys due to the fact that all three of them looked identical and had no special qualities.
His friend Ryuu had escaped looking so normal by dressing like a gangster and forming a strange fighting club with some first years. His other best friend Kichiro had embraced his otaku tendencies and was now obsessed with cosplay. Yuusuke had tried to change. He had cut his hair and joined the baseball team but out of the three he was the one who had changed the least. His hair had grown back and his baseball skills hadn’t improved to anything notable.
But this year… this year would be different he vowed. “Ryuu! Kichiro!” He called out upon seeing his two best friends.
“Hn.” Ryuu nodded and Kichiro waved.
“You still dress like that Ryuu?” Yuusuke commented seeing the messy stereotypical bad-boy dress of his friend. His taller friend nodded. “And you grew taller over the break! No fair!” He complained. Ryuu just shrugged.
“Perhaps he was training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.” His smaller friend with the thick glasses commented randomly.
“Eh…” Yuusuke sweat dropped. “And you’re as Otaku-ish as ever.” He said. “I’m the only one who didn’t change much from last year!” He wailed grabbing at his head and falling to his knees.
“If you want I can lend you my Kamen Rider outfit.” Kichiro suggested.
“And how would that help?” Yuusuke wondered out load. “Wait never mind. Thanks but no thanks.” He sighed.
“Well you shouldn’t worry too much.” His friend Ryuu offered. “Just be yourself and stuff… you know…” He trailed off shrugging.
Yuusuke shot up. “That’s it!”
“Eh?” Both his friends shrunk back.
“This is no time for me to be feeling down. This year is a new year! No longer are we lowly first years! As second years we have moved up on the totem pole.”
“Only the strong survive!” Kichiro chanted.
“Kichiro… you’re really not helping.” Yuusuke groaned. “We need something to strive for. Last year it was driving away from being normal and this year it will be the same thing but with a different approach. Hmm…” He was deep in thought. “We need to do something that is not average besides change our looks or get involved in clubs.”
“Yuusuke.” Kichiro said in a robot voice as he held up a flyer.
“What’s this?” He said taking the piece of paper. “The Briar Doll competitions?”
“That’s right…” Ryuu noted. “I think I’m ready to participate this year.” He said balling his fist and hitting it into the palm of his hand.
“I will too!” Kichiro said. “And if I win, the girl will have to go to the end of the year ball in cosplay.” Kichiro said stroking his chin deviously, a mischievous glint reflecting off his glasses.
“You two are going to participate? But you don’t even know who the girl is going to be yet.” He said.
Ryuu shrugged. “I’ll probably just participate in the competitions that interest me.”
“There should be a cosplay competition!” Kichiro chimed in.
Yuusuke gulped. Last year in the Briar Doll competitions, he had been too shy to go to any of the competitions. “Maybe…” He trembled. “Maybe… if we get a girlfriend… we won’t be average anymore.”
“Eh?”
“I will…” Yuusuke was pale. “This year I will… I will…”
“Will what?” Ryuu wondered.
“I’ll participate in the Briar Doll competitions and win!” He swore, pumping his fist in the air.
“Strength without determination means nothing, and determination without strength is equally useless." Kichiro nodded his head. Ryuu and Yuusuke just sweat dropped..
“Well good luck, Yuusuke.” Ryuu said patting his back.
“Yeah! May Kami-sama hear your prayers…”
“Kichiro…” Yuusuke interrupted.
“Uh… I mean do your best!” Kichiro said with a goofy grin.
And then Yuusuke had gone off to baseball practice thinking of his goal. Last year, he had really wanted to participate in some of the competitions but he had been too nervous to. Last year, the beautiful Kiku Takashi had been the Briar Doll in which all the boys of Briar High competed for. Yet, Yuusuke had felt unworthy and too embarrassed to even try in any of the competitions so he had just watched. He had stayed home miserably on the day of the ball because he had no girlfriend. Not that any girl would want to go out with someone as average and unnoticeable as him.
“Ok! I must get a girlfriend this year no matter what!” He vowed. “Yuusuke Tsuchie will no longer be uncool! This year I will… ah!” He yelled as a body suddenly fell on him. Then everything went black for a bit as he fell to the ground like a rag doll.
“Hey you.” He heard close to his ear. “Wake up.” The voice said as somebody lightly slapped at his face.
“Huh?” Opening his eyes, Yuusuke found himself staring up at a girl who was straddling him. Upon realizing his situation, the poor boy’s face turned red. A girl had landed on him! This was too perfect an opportunity to be coincidence! Perhaps his goal of getting a girlfriend was closer than he had ever imagined. Maybe Kichiro’s prayer to Kami-sama had been answered!
“What are you turning red for?” She asked, making a face. “A guy shouldn’t be defeated by something like that.” She said folding her arms.
“What?” He said lifting himself up a little.
“And don’t stand in people’s ways.” She ordered pointing at him.
“What!?” He screeched in disbelief not wanting to get lectured by this girl. “You’re the one who landed on me!” He argued feeling flustered.
“Don’t be such a wimp. Getting knocked out like that.” She continued. “What kind of man are you?”
“What did you say?” He said getting angry. Who did this girl think she was? Her gaze fell upon his baseball uniform and her eyes changed into that of dangerous sparks.
“Are you on the baseball team!?” She demanded grabbing his shirt and pulling him towards her. Her whole manner now resembled that of a cat stalking her prey.
“Y-yeah.” He managed somewhat afraid. No girl had ever been this rough with him before. It was scary but strangely exciting at the same time. He gulped and gathered up his courage. “What does that have to do with…”
“This is so great!” She said dropping him to the floor with a loud ‘oof!’ “I wanna try out for the baseball team!” She said pumping her fists. She focused her attention back on him. “Who do I talk to? Where do I go?”
“Uh…” He hesitated. “But there are no girls on the team.” He couldn’t help but say which he was about learn, was a mistake.
“Is it a problem that I’m a girl?” She growled grabbing him by the shirt again. “There’s nothing in the rules that says a girl can’t play is there?” She said lowly only inches away from his face.
“Uh… I don’t know.” He offered. As far as he knew no girls had ever wanted to be on the team. She growled and looked as if she were about to punch him. “I’ll take you to the baseball captain, if you want!” He said fearing for his well being and putting his hands up before his face.
“You will!?” She said her face lighting up. “Yes! This will be so great! I love baseball! I even brought my own glove.” She explained, pulling the glove from her bag.
“Uh… ok.” He said unable to get past how weird this girl seemed to be.
He took her to the captain, a third year named Iwao Aono. She half ran and half skipped up to him excitably. “Hmm?” The captain wondered trying to look cool in front of the cute girl.
“I wanna be on the baseball team!” She exclaimed upon reaching the captain.
“Hmm? You want to be the manager?” He smiled thinking of how great it would be to finally have a manager.
“Gah!” She yelled punching him in the chest.
“AH!?” He cried out his eyes bulging and falling backwards.
“C-captain!” Yuusuke yelped, not believing that she had actually punched the third year captain. He knelt besides the startled captain.
“No, I don’t wanna be the manager! I wanna play baseball!”
The captain rubbed the spot where Kagura had hit him. “We’ve never had any girls on the team before.” He started. Yuusuke started to nod, as it was the same thing he had said. Then he gulped when it looked like the girl was going to punch the captain again.
“Is it really a problem that I’m a girl?” She yelled.
“Wait! Please miss!” Yuusuke panicked trying to protect the captain.
“Don’t tell me to wait!” She yelled stomping her foot. “Do you know how many times I’ve heard people tell me I can’t play sports just cuz I’m a girl? It sucks!” She said having somewhat of a temper tantrum. “Is there anything in the rule books that says girls can’t play baseball?” She asked.
The captain stood up with the help of Yuusuke. “Well… no.” He said crossly. “But girls generally don’t want to play baseball.” He said sheepishly and backed up when it looked like Kagura was about to attack again. “Uh… I’ll tell you what…” He started. “We’ve already rounded up a group of first years who are interested in playing. Tomorrow we have practice. Why don’t you come then? I mean… if you’re serious.” He offered.
“Yay!” She cheered, jumping up and down. “I’ll be there!” She said pointing at the captain. “I can’t wait to tell Asa-chan!” She exclaimed and ran off.
“You brought me an interesting girl.” Iwao said, looking rather annoyed.
“Uh… yeah… uh… do you think she’ll come?” Yuusuke wondered.
Iwao frowned. “I hope she doesn’t.” The captain shook his head. “Imagine… a girl? On the team? Tomorrow I’ll just let her off nicely.”
Yuusuke frowned but didn’t say anything. The captain seemed to be a little unfair on the matter, but Yuusuke didn’t have the courage to argue. He was after all – just ‘some guy.’
“Yes…” Kagura yawned.
“Great! We can go turn it in together. The drawing is at the end of the day. I’m so excited! I really hope I’ll get picked.”
“Eh? Whatever.” Kagura wasn’t paying much attention.
“Come on. The student council room is on the third floor.”
They went up the stairs just as a pair of twin girls were coming out of the student council room. “I hope I get picked.” One said dramatically.
“We have double the chance to get picked!” The other said.
“Yeah, after all I could pretend to be you and you me.” The other laughed. “We come as a pair after all!”
They both giggled and then saw the two girls and quieted. They stared at Asaka and Kagura who entered the mysterious student council room - the room that Asaka had been too afraid to enter by herself.
“Why hello.” A beautiful girl said sitting at the table. She had light brown wavy hair and blue eyes. She looked somewhat like a foreign model, as she wasn’t completely Japanese.
“Hey.” Kagura greeted roughly when Asaka didn’t say anything. The older girl seemed surprised by Kagura’s boyish response.
“Are you two here to enter the Briar Doll competition?” Kagura waited for Asaka to respond but her friend seemed too dazzled by the sempai.
“Yeah, here are the papers.” Kagura said handing her crinkled forms to the pretty girl.
“Here!” Asaka squeaked.
“Thank you, and good luck. We’ll be holding the drawing today and announce the winner at the end of classes.” She smiled at them.
“Yeah, okay.” Kagura said awkwardly wondering why her friend was acting so shy.
“What are you doing?” Asaka whispered to her.
“I don’t want to be late to baseball practice!”
“Don’t forget about the drawing!” Asaka reminded.
“Oh yeah…” She had forgotten.
“I want you to be here when my name is called.”
“IF your name is picked.”
“I will be picked. The tarot cards said I would receive a surprise today.”
“Tarot cards?” Kagura wrinkled her nose. She didn’t care much for tarot cards… except when they involved her own fate… “Hey… you should have done a reading for me! I can’t wait to show them my batting skills!” Kagura exclaimed.
The intercom came on and a girl’s crisp voice resounded throughout the school. “Attention students of Briar High. The drawing for this year’s Briar Doll has been chosen. This years Briar Doll is first year Azami Kagura.”
“What?” Kagura turned to the intercom in shock.
“That’s you!” Asaka gasped.
Everyone turned to her. “Would Azami Kagura please come to the student council room at once to discuss the arrangements for this year’s Briar Doll competitions? Thank you and congratulations to Azami Kagura, the winner for this year’s Briar Doll.”
“So I just have to go and receive some type of doll? And go on some sort of date?” Kagura shrugged.
“No! Don’t you understand anything? Guys are going to fight over you!” Asaka shouted.
“Fight over me? That’s just dumb. I don’t want any guys fighting over me.”
“Just think, you’ll be a princess and get to watch over all your suitors! Isn’t it romantic?”
“That sounds stupid.”
“Why did the contests have to be wasted on you? I wanted it more than you did!” Asaka growled angrily.
“But YOU made me enter the drawing!”
“Yeah but I didn’t expect you to get picked! I just wanted someone to come with me to the student council room.”
“Guys are gonna fight over me? I’m gonna have to be some sort of princess? That’s stupid! I don’t want that!”
“Uhg!” Asaka shouted in discust while glaring at her friend. “Kagura, I hate you!” She yelled storming off with tears in her eyes.
“A-Asa-chan.” Kagura whispered.
-Botan Ichijo, Student council secretary and head journalist of the Briar Patch, your school’s official newspaper.
Title: The Brair Doll
Year: 1st year
Birthdate:
Height: 5’5
Looks: long brown hair in a pony tail with bangs that shape her face. Brown eyes, some freckles, slender but strong.
Personality: Loud, tough, violent, doesn’t always think before she speaks
Likes: sports and fighting
Dislikes: Acting girly and annoying people.
Beliefs: She believes men should act like men and that anyone can do anything and shouldn’t be barred from it because of social norms. Despite believing men should be strong she really just thinks everyone should be themselves.
Behind the name: Kagura means “dance or entertainment of the gods” after a Shinto ritualistic dance. She was named thus because I’ve noticed a lot of “tough” characters named Kagura and I just like the name? Azami means “thistle flower,” a play upon the title of the story’s title.
