Disclaimy: I don't own the G-boys, so there.
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Splash! Quatre felt the shocking cold of the water around him. He clawed at the surface. The more he struggled, the more he sank. The surface of the water seemed farther and farther away now. There was a burning feeling in his lungs. He was running out of air! His mind was racing as he struggled to reach the surface. He didn't notice the shadow beneath him. All of the alarms in Quatre's head were ringing louder than ever. His vision got darker and blurry. He sank slowly now, but he hit something. He felt and immense feeling of pain. Then he felt nothing.
Quatre jerked awake. His breathing was quick and raspy. He looked at his clock. 3:30 AM. He felt dizzy from sitting up so fast. Half of his blanket was on the floor and one of his pillows had managed to flop down on the dresser next to his bed.
"How-how could it feel so real?" He said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
The window let in a small ocean breeze. The boys were spending the week on a small island that one of Quatre's friends found and claimed. This didn't help the dreams he was having. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't swim for squat-frick. Gathering up his pillow, he tried to go back to sleep.
"Kid! Wake up." Duo woke him up in the morning.
"Why Du?"
"We're goin' for a swim. And you have no choice in the matter."
Quatre grumbled as he put on his swimsuit and joined the others for breakfast. They soon were out on the sand. Quatre didn't go anywhere near the water. Duo pulled Wufei under, Heero hit Trowa who in turn, dunked him.
"Hey Quat! Why not come and join us? It's lots of fun!" Duo shouted. None of them noticed the girl walking over.
Quatre shook his head. He wanted no part of the ocean. A small hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked around into the eyes of a thirteen-year old girl.
She was short, had brown hair, blue eyes and wore an ocean-blue swimming suit.
"Hi. I'm Kiyaru." She said. Not waiting for a reply, she sat down beside him and went on.
"I've noticed that you stray away from the ocean. Why?" Kiyaru asked. Quatre hesitated for a second,
"...I have always feared the ocean. When I was very young, I went swimming with a friend of mine. I was visiting her house and we went to the ocean instead of a pool. She told me that it might be cold when I went in. We swam out for a while, and we weren't very far from the rocks. Suddenly, there was a shadow in one of the waves coming at us. My friend pushed me onto the rocks just as a large great white crashed through the waves and took her. Before she was dragged out, I heard her say 'Quatre, don't be afraid.' After that, I never went near the ocean again."
Kiyaru was real silent for a moment. Then, she took his hand and led him to her raft.
"Come with me." She said. Quatre slowly went onto the raft and she untied the ropes that held them there. She paddled out to a reef that no boat could ever go to.
"You seem to be lost. You need a connection with the sea, or when you need it most...it won't be kind." Kiyaru said. She handed him some goggles as she put hers on. Quatre blinked.
"My what-?" He asked, adjusting the goggles.
"You heard me. Everyone has a strong or faint connection with the sea. No one has no connections like you. Your friends have...an okay bond. It's okay for the time being. By the way, how long can you hold your breath?"
"Um...30-maybe-40 seconds."
"It's okay, for a start."
"You can't be serious."
"Do I look like I'm lying?"
After the argument was settled, they slipped into the water. There was a small, sudden shock of cold...then it was very comfortable. Kiyaru worked with Quatre and before the day was over, he could hold his breath for a minute and a half.
As they paddled back, the sound of a motorboat was heard.
"Great." Kiyaru muttered.
"What's wrong?"
"That's the sound of my brother, Touji. He over-fishes the ocean every day. The stuff he doesn't need, he kills and throws into the water. He makes wisecracks at me for loving the ocean. I hope he doesn't ram me one day."
"Oh."
Everyone soon found out the story once Quatre got back.
"Oooo! Quatre, you've got a girl! ^_^ How niiice." Duo played.
"Cut it out Du-bat." Quatre replied, knowing that Duo hated being called 'Du'
They ate and soon went to bed. Hoping he didn't have the same dream, Quatre shut the door and kicked off the covers.
The morning came like all others. Breakfast was short and Quatre left a note for everyone as he went to meet Kiyaru at the dock.
"Ready for today's swim kid?" She asked as the two paddled off.
"Ready as I'll ever be." He replied.
They got to the reef and gasped. Touji was there with three friends and nets.
"Come on. We're going somewhere else." Kiyaru snorted as they paddled away.
There was a seamount that she knew very well and her brother didn't know about it.
"Come on, there's something I want to show you." Kiyaru said as they slipped under the water.
Kiyaru swam down to a cave about an arm's length wide. Quatre followed without problem. A large green moray eel swam out to greet them. They fed it and let it wrap around their arms. As they ascended, the current seemed weaker. Their heads broke the water as they gasped.
"I'd gladly go back down. It's like a different universe in there." Quatre exclaimed as the crawled on top of the raft.
"It's like this, down for a while, rest, down rest and so on and so forth." His friend replied.
They went down several more times. On the last time though, Quatre stumbled across a manta ray. It was beautiful...but it just hung limply in the water. He saw the problem. There were pieces of rope in a large wound on its back. The wound showed signs of infection with the ropes inside. Knowing that it might die, Quatre swam onto its back and laced his hands into the ropes. Then he pulled really hard. The manta sprang upward, leaving Quatre with his fists full of ropes from fishing nets. Alarms were ringing in his head now. He kept the ropes and slowly swam upward where Kiyaru was waiting.
"What were doing being down so long?" She asked. Quatre held up the ropes, which had cut his hands a bit.
"They were entangled in an enormous manta ray. I pulled them out." He replied. Kiyaru smiled.
"You're getting better." She said, paddling back to shore.
When everyone heard about this, they thought Quatre was lying.
"You've got to be joking." Wufei said. Quatre shook his head.
"Did you really see a giant manta?" Duo asked. Quatre nodded.
"Where's your proof?" Trowa asked. Quatre held out his hands.
"You weren't afraid that it might have gathered sharks?" Heero asked. Quatre shook his head. There was a spark of hope for a connection between Quatre and the Ocean.
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Aft: Is it okay to assume that Quatre is a friend of the sea? What about Kiyaru's brother Touji? Will he go looking for the manta? Will the manta come back to help the two in a time of crisis? Find out next time on "The Angel and the Sea."
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Splash! Quatre felt the shocking cold of the water around him. He clawed at the surface. The more he struggled, the more he sank. The surface of the water seemed farther and farther away now. There was a burning feeling in his lungs. He was running out of air! His mind was racing as he struggled to reach the surface. He didn't notice the shadow beneath him. All of the alarms in Quatre's head were ringing louder than ever. His vision got darker and blurry. He sank slowly now, but he hit something. He felt and immense feeling of pain. Then he felt nothing.
Quatre jerked awake. His breathing was quick and raspy. He looked at his clock. 3:30 AM. He felt dizzy from sitting up so fast. Half of his blanket was on the floor and one of his pillows had managed to flop down on the dresser next to his bed.
"How-how could it feel so real?" He said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
The window let in a small ocean breeze. The boys were spending the week on a small island that one of Quatre's friends found and claimed. This didn't help the dreams he was having. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't swim for squat-frick. Gathering up his pillow, he tried to go back to sleep.
"Kid! Wake up." Duo woke him up in the morning.
"Why Du?"
"We're goin' for a swim. And you have no choice in the matter."
Quatre grumbled as he put on his swimsuit and joined the others for breakfast. They soon were out on the sand. Quatre didn't go anywhere near the water. Duo pulled Wufei under, Heero hit Trowa who in turn, dunked him.
"Hey Quat! Why not come and join us? It's lots of fun!" Duo shouted. None of them noticed the girl walking over.
Quatre shook his head. He wanted no part of the ocean. A small hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked around into the eyes of a thirteen-year old girl.
She was short, had brown hair, blue eyes and wore an ocean-blue swimming suit.
"Hi. I'm Kiyaru." She said. Not waiting for a reply, she sat down beside him and went on.
"I've noticed that you stray away from the ocean. Why?" Kiyaru asked. Quatre hesitated for a second,
"...I have always feared the ocean. When I was very young, I went swimming with a friend of mine. I was visiting her house and we went to the ocean instead of a pool. She told me that it might be cold when I went in. We swam out for a while, and we weren't very far from the rocks. Suddenly, there was a shadow in one of the waves coming at us. My friend pushed me onto the rocks just as a large great white crashed through the waves and took her. Before she was dragged out, I heard her say 'Quatre, don't be afraid.' After that, I never went near the ocean again."
Kiyaru was real silent for a moment. Then, she took his hand and led him to her raft.
"Come with me." She said. Quatre slowly went onto the raft and she untied the ropes that held them there. She paddled out to a reef that no boat could ever go to.
"You seem to be lost. You need a connection with the sea, or when you need it most...it won't be kind." Kiyaru said. She handed him some goggles as she put hers on. Quatre blinked.
"My what-?" He asked, adjusting the goggles.
"You heard me. Everyone has a strong or faint connection with the sea. No one has no connections like you. Your friends have...an okay bond. It's okay for the time being. By the way, how long can you hold your breath?"
"Um...30-maybe-40 seconds."
"It's okay, for a start."
"You can't be serious."
"Do I look like I'm lying?"
After the argument was settled, they slipped into the water. There was a small, sudden shock of cold...then it was very comfortable. Kiyaru worked with Quatre and before the day was over, he could hold his breath for a minute and a half.
As they paddled back, the sound of a motorboat was heard.
"Great." Kiyaru muttered.
"What's wrong?"
"That's the sound of my brother, Touji. He over-fishes the ocean every day. The stuff he doesn't need, he kills and throws into the water. He makes wisecracks at me for loving the ocean. I hope he doesn't ram me one day."
"Oh."
Everyone soon found out the story once Quatre got back.
"Oooo! Quatre, you've got a girl! ^_^ How niiice." Duo played.
"Cut it out Du-bat." Quatre replied, knowing that Duo hated being called 'Du'
They ate and soon went to bed. Hoping he didn't have the same dream, Quatre shut the door and kicked off the covers.
The morning came like all others. Breakfast was short and Quatre left a note for everyone as he went to meet Kiyaru at the dock.
"Ready for today's swim kid?" She asked as the two paddled off.
"Ready as I'll ever be." He replied.
They got to the reef and gasped. Touji was there with three friends and nets.
"Come on. We're going somewhere else." Kiyaru snorted as they paddled away.
There was a seamount that she knew very well and her brother didn't know about it.
"Come on, there's something I want to show you." Kiyaru said as they slipped under the water.
Kiyaru swam down to a cave about an arm's length wide. Quatre followed without problem. A large green moray eel swam out to greet them. They fed it and let it wrap around their arms. As they ascended, the current seemed weaker. Their heads broke the water as they gasped.
"I'd gladly go back down. It's like a different universe in there." Quatre exclaimed as the crawled on top of the raft.
"It's like this, down for a while, rest, down rest and so on and so forth." His friend replied.
They went down several more times. On the last time though, Quatre stumbled across a manta ray. It was beautiful...but it just hung limply in the water. He saw the problem. There were pieces of rope in a large wound on its back. The wound showed signs of infection with the ropes inside. Knowing that it might die, Quatre swam onto its back and laced his hands into the ropes. Then he pulled really hard. The manta sprang upward, leaving Quatre with his fists full of ropes from fishing nets. Alarms were ringing in his head now. He kept the ropes and slowly swam upward where Kiyaru was waiting.
"What were doing being down so long?" She asked. Quatre held up the ropes, which had cut his hands a bit.
"They were entangled in an enormous manta ray. I pulled them out." He replied. Kiyaru smiled.
"You're getting better." She said, paddling back to shore.
When everyone heard about this, they thought Quatre was lying.
"You've got to be joking." Wufei said. Quatre shook his head.
"Did you really see a giant manta?" Duo asked. Quatre nodded.
"Where's your proof?" Trowa asked. Quatre held out his hands.
"You weren't afraid that it might have gathered sharks?" Heero asked. Quatre shook his head. There was a spark of hope for a connection between Quatre and the Ocean.
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Aft: Is it okay to assume that Quatre is a friend of the sea? What about Kiyaru's brother Touji? Will he go looking for the manta? Will the manta come back to help the two in a time of crisis? Find out next time on "The Angel and the Sea."