Strawberry Panic!

Kaname's World

By. A Moment In Subtext

Kaname Kenjo has always been fond of metaphors. She claims it is because she is much to clever to say things as they are, but she once confided to Momomi that it is because she has trouble expressing what she thinks. But then, that could be a metaphor for something else, as well.

She carries out full conversations with Momomi, both speaking entirely in metaphor. Neither can be entirely sure when the coversation is about, bu neither will abandon the metaphors.

Gradually, over time, Kaname begins to think in metaphor as well. She knows she has a problem when she cannot take any word at face value, but she cannot make herself stop. She's good at hiding her problem, though. Even Momomi doesn't know that she hasn't said anything true in over a year.

Then, she beings to see in metaphor. Every falling leaf, rising sun, blooming flower, takes on a new meaning. For a while, she becomes poetic; she fills three journals before the sight grows tedious. But then she begins to become paranoid, seeing hidden meaning where there ought to be none.

She retreats into herself, unable to see the way things really are, because she can only see the things they might be. Every word she speaks carries three meanings beneath the surface. Every step she takes is carefully choreographed.

And now, she lives in a world where the words "I love you" mean only "I don't want you with her."