Summary: An island holding many secrets has become the target of an unnatural weather phenomenon . Storms that are growing increasingly more severe threaten the lives of of the inhabitants on a weekly - almost daily - basis. Coming home from school Sugata and Wako discover a body floating out at sea. Risking life and limb to recover it they are happy to discover that it is still alive. Much to their dismay though, a much larger threat is brewing on the bed of waves. Something that could cost the unlikely trio their lives.
Chapter 1/
Cold water splashed down on the back of his head. With a vicious flick of his hair he shed the droplets with a quick snap of his neck. Sugata glanced down at his shirt. The white and blue had turned transparent with sweat. Gym class had not boded well with the young teen and had instead left him dehydrated and cranky. He had never complained before about any team sports but this time his team had been absolutely wretched. Not only had Wako not been on his team, she hadn't been in class; none of the girls had been in the class. This had left him stranded with a bunch of hopeless guys who tried too hard to be bad.
Not only that but it had started to rain midway through his class. The class had being held outside and the entire class ended up soaked to the core. Even now as he prepped for a hot shower (planning to skip class for such a private luxury) he could see the rolling black clouds over head. It smelled of an impending storm and he was half tempted to just head home, letting the rain wash away the smell of perspiration.
Unable to stand the sticky feel a moment longer, Sugata dived into the boy's shower room. The soap and shampoo he longed for were not available here and he was forced to accept the almost unbearably hot water. He turned up the heat just a little more in a small hope that the dirt would burn off him. The only thing he succeeded in was turning his flesh a crimson red.
Soon the blazing rush of water grew too much to stand, forcing Sugata to retreat and curse at his cut time.
In the end, he was thankful to get out earlier. As he pulled his uniform on over his damp form a rumble deep as the sea shook the campus. Not wanting to walk home in worse weather he made it his goal to make it out of that school as soon as possible.
Rain crashed against the windows of the change room and deafened the student. This meant that when the knock came on the door he didn't hear it, continuing his work in ignorant silence. He pulled the strap of his book bag across his shoulder and twisted the door knob.
Before him stood a blond headed girl. She rose to his collar bone and her bright eyes blended in with her hair like golden marbles. Of course, this was just the lightening and as she turned her head Sugata was able to see the true colour that he had always known was there; a light brown that shimmered on the darkest day. This girl was his light and her features stood as a testament to that brilliance.
"Wako? What are you doing here?" His voice held a light lilt that made his surprise barely audible. But in all honesty, he was not that surprised. He shared all his classes with her for an extremely long time – since they had been kids – and she would have noticed his absence. It did not help that he had walked to school with her.
She tilted her head, lightening playing across her face and causing Sugata's shadow to dance madly around her. "I was wondering where you were. School's closing because of the storm, I wanted to make sure you heard." It sounded slightly recited, apparently she had as much to think about as Sugata himself.
"I was just on my way out," he replied with a sly glance to the window. The down poor of rain coated it with a thick sheet of water; it made seeing out of it a vague dream. Giving up on that task he draped his arm around her shoulder and lead her away.
"Why weren't you in class anyway?" Wako questioned. Her voice switched from a recited tone to something much more motherly. Cautious of her gaze, Sugata looked away.
"Gym class was tiring." His answer was almost a question in itself, but he hoped it would satisfy her. It didn't.
A fierce frown stretched down to her jaw line. "That's no excuse. You have time at the end of class for a shower if you really need one." Sugata could have easily explained that he didn't feel comfortable showering amongst those men. So he just settled with the obvious; after all, he was not known for his good mood.
"It was mentally tiring." Being a man of few words, this was all he said.
And this Wako seemed to accept. She contented herself with swinging her legs slightly in front of her to the main entrance. It was at the entrance that the two abandoned their back packs. With the downpour outside their books would quickly become soaked and useless by the time they got home.
No words were exchanged between the two. Partially because Sugata was not much of a talker and partially because Wako's mood liked to reflect the weather; her cheeriest times came when the sun was out. Now bitter winds bit at the back of their necks like Cerberus, that accompanied by the thunderous rain sent thick chills up their spins. Already Sugata had shed his jacket and forced it upon Wako. She had protested mildly but eventually the harsh wind and Sugata's stern look won her over. Being drenched as it was it offered little protection from the rain, but the extra fabric still served as a wind blocker to cut the cold.
The path they took was the shortest distance to Sugata's house (mansion would be a more fitting term). The main road was more sheltered but the distance was almost double that of the ocean road. This one was less sheltered but the distance still managed to decrease their chances of catching pneumonia; as Sugata stated much to Wako's dismay. Even now though, she still questioned the idea.
Stones crunched beneath their feet as they dropped to the beach. It hadn't been their choice to come this close to the water but the path had been eaten away by a similar storm last week. Sea water lapped at their feet though it didn't make a difference; each step had squelched harshly since they emerged from the school.
These storms had become routine and so was cleaning up the mess after. The first had occurred almost three weeks ago; mild at best. The constant rain drifted slightly north, only interrupted by the scattered crack of thunder. Since then the storms had grown periodically worse. What had once been a light breeze now drove with hurricane force. The rain weathered the cliffs and had already managed to submerge several coasts.
The island was sinking and there was nothing the islanders could do about it.
Now that Sugata thought about it, this had probably started almost five weeks ago. Out of season rain had begun to fall near the start of April and transgressed into what it was today. The weather had knocked out the signals coming to and from the island around the second week, when the drizzle had turned fierce. It made Sugata's heart sink with worry. There was something very unnatural about the way the storms were slowly climaxing and simultaneously isolating them in the process.
"What is that?" Wako shouted above the rain, her voice ripping her fiancé from his thoughts.
The boy followed her gaze out to sea. Riding waves was a red blot slowly edging it's way to the shore. Every minute it became a little more identifiable, and a little more human.
"Is that..." He never got to finish, interrupted by his companions lithe form zipping past him.
Splashes filled the air as she dived headlong into the sea. Large waves rose up to swallow her whole; each time she took a little longer to surface. Sugata calling out from the embankment was not helping. She probably couldn't hear him anyway as water beat her mercilessly. The student did not stay still for long, opting to join her in her futile fight with the sea.
Once he was far out enough to reach her, he grabbed the girl and hugged her close to his chest. Her body was shaking from the cold but it didn't stop her from clawing out at the figure floating a few feet away. Unable to bear watching her squirm and unable to deny her, Sugata shoved her back to land. In the same movement he pushed himself back into the storm. His muscles screamed at him to turn back and the waves pushed him under over and over; but he fought. At long last his fingers wrapped around the boys shirt and tucked him close the same way he had hugged Wako.
Barely conscious from the strain, Sugata and the boy collapsed onto the beach. The latter was blissfully oblivious to the world around him and had slipped into unconsciousness long before he had been found by these two. Wako was waiting at the shore, her brow in a tight line above her eyes. But she quickly got to work on the new comer, her lips wrapping around his without hesitation and pumping life back into him. The other watched with a dipped gaze. At different intervals his eyelids dropped and snapped back into focus while he waited patiently.
After an endless amount of time their effort was payed off with a serious of wet coughs. Finally satisfied, the blond leaned back on her heels and brushed away the water dripping down her face.
"Come on," she said after a long pause. Sugata didn't think he had enough breath to speak just yet and instead just gave a look saying "What now?" She continued, "Let's take him to your house. It's closer than the hospital and I think he'll be fine." She smiled at him so show her assurance, but it came out halfhearted from fatigue.
Still unable to respond, Sugata just nodded and rose painfully to his feet. After a few seconds to steady himself he hoisted the unconscious boy onto his back and set out along the path once more. Wako trailed loyally behind him.
Wako's feet trailed back and forth before Sugata's bed room door. This time though it was not Sugata who was inside. Instead the boy they had discovered in the ocean was laying in a cocoon of sleep. Or that's how she thought of it. More then likely Tiger and Jaguar had already set out changing the boy into something a little more dry. Sugata had passed on a pair of his pyjamas and left the room just after, leaving only Tiger, Jaguar and Wako in with the boy. Of course, it hadn't taken the two maids long before they kicked Wako out. According to them, she didn't need to see him getting changed and she had to agree. Besides, they had added, they didn't think he would appreciate having a young lady, such as herself, catch him nude. They were an exception, just like Sugata would have been had he stuck around, it was their jobs.
From inside the room, a crash echoed through the house. This was followed by Jaguar yelling out that everything was okay. The gusts of cold air coming in through the cracks in the door told Wako that the window had been blown open. She hoped that the boy was still, for the most part, dressed.
The boy. He plagued the blonds mind with the persistence of the Spanish influenza but with the gentleness of a summer breeze. The opposite of the weather Wako and Sugata had discovered him in; which struck with the ferociousness of a thousand wolves but were as fleeting as morning dew.
When he was found, the boy had been wearing so much red that neither of the two could tell if he was bleeding. The trip to the mansion proved that he wasn't though. But he was, as Sugata pointed out, malnourished. His scrawny figure had been hidden by a red shirt that was two sizes to small and a pair of beige pants that were equally small. The red shirt bore a gold star on the left shoulder that had attracted Wako's gaze on several different occasions.
But the thing that stood out the most was that this boy – whoever he may be – was an outsider.
Wako didn't fancy the term herself. Years of living on the island had given her the vocabulary of those living there with her. She disliked that term because it made her feel like an outcast from the rest of the world. It made her feel like her dream was unattainable.
And maybe it was. She was a maiden and forbidden to leave the island. More than that; it was impossible. She had been told what would happen if she tried. Told that no matter what she tried she would always be pulled back to the island by it.
Now with the presence of the outsider, she felt her hope and determination reach new heights. She had never given up – and never would have given up – but her heart blossomed for so many reasons at the sight of him, alive.
This boy was her new hope. All he had to do was wake up.
"Hey."
Wako jumped. Her hand flashed to her chest and clutched it in a dramatic performance. A weak smile rose to her face as she realized who it was.
"Sorry. Did I scare you?" Sugata asked. A look of concern flashed across his face, but her smile banished it. Instead his own warm smile spread itself out and lit his brown eye until they shone. "I came here to check on our guest. Are Tiger and Jaguar still working on him?"
"I think so," she replied with a shake of her head. They should have been done by now, even with the window blowing open. The two maids had been alone with the boy for almost fifteen minutes.
The other turned to regard the door. Stepping forward he knocked briefly before he stepped inside. The motion was careful and didn't allow Wako to see into the room. The door shut gently behind her fiance, leaving Wako alone in the hall; pacing once more.
"Young master!" Tiger yelped. It seemed that neither of the maids had heard his knock or had heard the door shut. Both girls spun around with an equal amount of shock on their features. Their master acknowledged them each with a cool dejected demeanour before his eyes rested on the boy.
Their guest seemed to have made a smooth transition from "guest" to "patient". He lay on top of the bed with his chest to the sheets and his head tilted to one side. His slumbering face should have been peaceful but it was tainted with a slight, pained scowl. The reason why was obvious.
Tiger and Jaguar had left the boy uncovered and naked from the waist up. He lower half was covered by a pair of Sugata's long abandoned pyjamas. His upper half however was covered in scares. Some of the tissue had been long replaced by healthy flesh and was barely visible, others still burned a faded pink – some were still unhealed. Accompanying those scars were burn marks. They looked with cigarette burns and even though he was unsure the sight of them sent a long shiver up Sugata's spine.
"The poor boy," one of the girls muttered. Sugata couldn't help but agree.
One of Sugata's stray hands moved across the skin. It caused the patient to flinch in his sleep and Sugata forced himself to pull away. Still the feeling of the flesh lingered on his finger tips. It was rough in places it should have been smooth and smooth in places that should have been rough.
It was wrong.
After a long moment of silence he finally opened his mouth. "Put some bandages on his wounds and finish dressing him." His order was soft and murmured, causing the two to act slowly. They nodded and left the room to fetch wrappings.
Sugata's eyes wandered to the window then. The pane shook gently in its shell. Beyond the glass the weather twisted into a gargantuan creature. Coils of black wind reached down to touch the water in a tunnel shape. The water reached up to the sky, it formed a shell over the wind that speed towards the town.
A U R T H O R ' S Note:
Big props to MiyuTanemura who gave it a much needed look over. Much. Much. MUCH needed look over.
I already have Chapter Two finished but it hasn't had a second opinion yet and I don't want to spoil anyone.
Yes. This is an alternate universe. Not only did I take away the cybodies but I changed Takuto's past. But nevertheless, you will still have your lovely adorable Takuto. Because I could NEVER ruin him. Ever.
Review if you liked it.
(Named after Globus' Mighty Rivers Run)