The Ocean's Cry, The Wind's Harmony
Chapter 1: Moonlight Meeting
I was never a believer before your lips touched my skin,
I was never a believer before your finger tips caressed my face.
I was never a believer before your words pierced my heart,
I was never a believer before you loved me.
23rd of April – Spain – Barcelona
At this time of night, the beautiful sands of the Caldetes Beach in Barcelona were mostly deserted. The only remnants of anyone having been there were the footprints sunken into the sand and litter left behind by those who weren't as cautious about the environment. The stars shone down brightly onto those below, and the moon painted itself into the water's reflection. Barcelona's Caldetes Beach was peaceful at night, which was exactly why one person in particular was drawn to it.
A lone man sat with his knees drawn to his chest on the golden sand, now darkened by the night, his eyes gazing out onto the water. His orbs followed the waves as they crept up to meet the sand before sliding back down into the water, back where they belonged. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something that was now very familiar to him. A picture and a letter.
He brought the two objects up to eye level and studied them closely. He slowly rose to his feet and once again his eyes met the waves. He was jealous of them. They could stray as far as they wanted but always have a place to return to. He smiled weakly, a expression Lovino didn't know he was capable of achieving, before folding up the letter and letting the wind carry it from his palm and onto the sand. He kicked a small pile of sand over half of the letter, a burial right of sorts.
The next thing to go would have to be the picture. He couldn't hold onto this drawing any longer. If he was going to purge everything it would have to be everything. He held the charcoal drawing with two hands and gripped it tighter around the edges. He looked into happy faces drawn onto the pages. In one sharp movement he shoved the drawing back into his pocket; he couldn't do it, not now.
He bit his lip, took one final look at the letter and walked away. He could've sworn he heard something move but he chose to ignore it. He couldn't believe what a coward he was.
"Hey! Come back! Wait up a second!"
Unfamiliar warmth wrapped around his wrist in the form of five long fingers with a strong grip, making him stop dead in his tracks. Automatism kicking in, he flicked his arm upwards to try and get whoever was grabbing him to let go. The stranger let go but turned him the other way so they were facing each other.
"Sorry if I freaked you out. It's just, you dropped this. I thought you might want it back" the stranger said between pants. He lifted his hand up to show the other the letter he had dropped in the sand. Instantly, he swiped the letter out of the stranger's hand and glared down at the ground.
"Don't just go assuming things, bastard" he hissed and threw the letter back down onto the sand, "mind your own business." A silence followed his outburst, both him and stranger staring at the letter as it lay on the sand.
"Would you like to hear a song?" the stranger interjected. The man who once held the letter near to his heart, Lovino, looked up at the man in front of him. Only then, and only then did he notice the stranger's bright green eyes. Those emerald eyes that shone like gems and pierced his limbs, making him unable to move, unable to breathe. They seemed to command even the moon itself as it served as his background, no, his slave, as his eyes were much brighter than any moon.
Once Lovino was finally unchained from the stranger's gaze he only fully comprehended what he had been asked. And despite how his body was telling him to run, and how his brain was telling him to panic he asked quietly back,
"A song?" The stranger smiled at him warmly and unstrapped something from around his shoulders. He soon deposited said object onto the sand and Lovino recognised what it was right away. A guitar case. It was nothing fancy but it was solid and good, capable of doing its job.
"You see, I'm a musician. Well, I'm not really sure if that suits me since I'm not professional or anything but I like to play and sing. So, would you like to hear a song?" offered the man.
"Why? Are you going to make me pay for it afterwards or something?" snapped Lovino. The stranger chuckled and shook his head.
"No, no, no! I just figured you could use a song. Free of charge of course" he replied with a single wink. Lovino grimaced at the stranger's well, strange behaviour. There was something weird about this guy, but also, there seemed to be something special about him.
"What if I don't want a song bastard?" replied Lovino with a frown.
"Then I won't play one! As simple as that!" exclaimed the stranger happily. Lovino sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Fine, as long as I don't have to pay. You look like you need something to do anyway" he muttered. The stranger grinned and knelt down on the sand, retrieving his guitar. As he pulled it out of the case, Lovino noticed the instrument was much more grand looking than the case it was kept in. It was a flamenco guitar adorned with golden rimming and a circle of writing around the centre which read something Lovino couldn't quite see in the darkness.
The stranger sat cross-legged on the sand and held the guitar firmly with two hands.
"This song I wrote myself. I call it, 'Maremotos'" explained the stranger, "come and sit down, you'll get tired if you stand up for too long." Lovino hesitated but sat across from the stranger with a huff.
"This better be worth it" grumbled the Italian. The stranger chuckled once again but soon his smile had faded and was replaced with pure serenity. He began to strum the strings of the guitar, his eyes closed but his fingers still moving quickly and precisely. Lovino watched in awe as he played, never straying away from him. Then, he began to sing.
As soon as his mouth opened the words flowed out as if they were pure instinct to him. Pure passion and emotion left him as his tongue and mouth moved with each word he spoke. He wasn't singing but speaking, telling, explaining. In a pure burst of honesty he belted out the chorus with everything he had;
I am but a lone man standing against a tidal wave,
Trying to stand against something that will send him to his grave.
Trying so hard to be strong and be brave,
I am but a lone man standing against a tidal wave.
He continued to sing line after line, word after word. Each syllable he formed wrapped Lovino up in a blanket of pure emotion which he never wanted to peel off. This stranger, who had seemed like a ditzy idiot, was able to entrance him, which made him more frightened then he would ever want to admit. Once the song was over with the flick of a single string Lovino still sat still, unsure of what he should do or say. However, the stranger opened his eyes and smiled.
"Did you like it?" he asked simply.
"I didn't not… not like it" grumbled Lovino in reply. The stranger smiled weakly and began to place his guitar gently back into its case. He handled the instrument with great care as if it were a newborn baby he was putting in its crib. Lovino watched as the moonlight illuminated his actions, the waves hitting the shore the only sound that could be heard.
When the stranger had finished packing up his guitar he stood up again and closed his eyes.
"The beach is so wonderful, isn't it? Especially at night. I think I could just listen to these waves all night" he cooed with a large grin, "Close your eyes and listen to the waves. I swear something magic will happen!"
"Magic? How old are you, four?" stated Lovino blankly.
"Twenty three actually! Now, come on! Close your eyes!" exclaimed the stranger happily.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Why would I?"
"Because what do you have to lose!" Lovino sighed and closed his eyes. Maybe this weirdo would leave him alone if he just did what he said. He heard the ocean's cry and felt the wind blowing against his person. It's funny how when you close your eyes everything becomes so much more real, even though you can't see it. He felt something being slipped into the palm of his hand. Something rough and smelling of the sand.
"You can open your eyes now!" the stranger stated in what Lovino guessed was his default tone, happiness. Lovino slowly opened his eyes and stared at what was now in his hand. It was the letter.
"Magic does exist, I promise. The magic of the sea. The waves will always return what you have lost" stated the stranger in a hushed voice. Lovino clenched his hand tighter around the letter and glared at the other man.
"Why are you doing this?" he spat.
"Because," began the stranger with a smile, "this letter looks like it's pretty important. I mean, anything that you would go to such effort to get rid of must be right? So I think you should keep something that is important to you, that's all!"
"You're older than me and yet you're so naïve. A twenty-three year old who believes in 'the magic of the beach' and who's constantly cheerful like a toddler. Don't pretend you even understand my situation, bastard" the Italian retorted. The stranger smiled knowingly and picked up the guitar case, slinging it onto his back.
"If you say so. I can't stop you thinking what you're thinking. However, there is one thing I'd like to ask you before I leave"
"And what's that?"
"Your name. What's your name?"
"Lovino Vargas, happy?"
"Very actually!" exclaimed the stranger, "well see ya!" He began to walk off, much to Lovino's delight, but abruptly turned around and smiled.
"My name's Antonio Fernandez Carriedo by the way" he added and before Lovino knew it Antonio was gone. Somehow, somewhere deep down inside of him Lovino felt like he had lost something, but wasn't quite sure what.
A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter of this fic! First off I would like to say that no I have never been to Barcelona, or even Spain itself, so if anything I write about the places or events in Barcelona are wrong please feel free to correct me! Oh, and also! If you couldn't tell already those lyrics do not belong to any actual song (that I know of)
So basically, each chapter will focus around a day or possibly a few depending on how much happen on one day. The length will really depend on how much happens on the day and such. I'm actually considering turning this into a series where it follows all of the romances that occur on the 23rd of April, which would be pairings such as GerIta etc. Somehow all of their stories would cross each a little. Tell me what you guys think! Thanks once again for reading!
- Etenia Fenalith-Lilicent