Disclaimer: I do not own Spiral -Suiri no Kizuna-, or any of the related characters. They belong to Kyou Shinodaira and Eita Mizuno. I am just a fan with a little too much time on her hands.
This is something I just had to write. If I didn't, it would have driven me crazy. And last I checked, being crazy is frowned upon. : )
And before you ask why am I writing something new before finishing my other stories, well, if I don't keep writing my skills will weaken. So to keep practicing and hopefully get some more inspiration going I have written this. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter One: Sunburned
Do not prejudge a situation before it has ended. Sometimes what we think is a pain in the rear is really a wonderful opportunity waiting to be embraced.
--Imprisoned Fire, 10/22/07
Ayumu knew something wasn't right the instant he started to wake up. It was that type of knowledge that you knew just, but at the same time couldn't quite place. He didn't even know why he was waking up. He felt drained. He was sure he could sleep longer, but something was dragging him out of slumber.
He finally realized what was waking him up. He felt abnormally hot, and his skin felt like a fire was licking against it. He knew immediately, though, that the thought was illogical. Illogical because a really fire would hurt way more then this, but it seemed like a good possibility to his sleepy mind.
Ayumu slowly moved his hand, thinking of bring it up to rub his eyes and possibly help in waking himself up. His moves, however, were stopped by the hot, stinging pain that erupted from brushing his arm against the warm sand beneath him. Since when did sand hurt so much?
. . .sand?
Huh?
His eyebrows knitted together in thought (successfully causing that hot sting to spread along his face as well). Why was there sand underneath him? The last thing he remembered was taking a nap. That fact its self wasn't new, but he had a nagging feeling he was forgetting something. He knew if he remembered, it would explain the sand and possibly the pain as well.
He felt strange. His skin felt like it was too tight for his body and just bending a finger hurt. He thought about rolling over, trying to remember what it was that his sleepy mind had forgotten. He even got half way turned, but then swore as hot-white pain shot through his back and he decided it was best to stay where he was.
It was vague, but a memory finally started to come through the fog in his mind. He could almost hear words, but couldn't understand them. He was sure it had something to do with summer almost starting, and it went on onto the weekend. . .
Then it clicked. Hiyono had wanted to go to the beach, and had dragged him along with her despite any and all protests not to go. Tired of being forced into the cold water he had settled down on a towel and must have dozed off. Another realization hit him, one that explained the burning pain he felt along his skin.
Crap.
Ayumu opened his eyes, and then snapped them closed when he found the sun shining directly in his face. As if waking up in pain wasn't enough, the sun had to try to blind him. He forced himself to sit up, hissing as his skin stretched and stung. The beach umbrella he had fell asleep under had fallen over, shading only his legs from the hot sun above. That explained why only his upper body seemed to hurt, seeing as the only thing he was wearing was his swimming shorts.
He looked around, finding the rest of the beach almost deserted. Judging from the position of the sun, he would guess it was sometime in the late afternoon, probably close to dinnertime. He was slightly curious as to why Hiyono hadn't woken him up already.
The thought only stayed in his mind for a second though as he was remind about his current state. The hot sun beating down on him made him feel like he was burning alive. He reached over and picked up the umbrella, putting it back in its right position in the sand. At least now he was out of the sun.
"Ayumu!"
A groan escaped his mouth at the all too familiar voice. He could feel a slight throbbing in his head, probably from too much sun, spike at the sound of the voice. He turned his head, raising a hand to block the glare from the sun in order to see clearly.
He managed to make out Hiyono's form coming towards him, still dressed in the simple yellow one-piece swimsuit. He had just woke up, was suffering from burning pain and a headache on the way, and had no desire at all to deal with his overly-cheerful friend.
"It's about time you woke up," she stated, stopping beside the towel smiling. He realized her smile almost seemed as bright as the sun. Now that she was closer, most of the glare was blocked and he could see her more clearly. Her honey gold hair was pulled from its usual braids into a single ponytail in the back. It looked damp, meaning she must have got out of the water only a few minutes ago. He saw she was holding two different ice cream cones in her hand. One looked like chocolate, nearly finished, and the other was vanilla.
"I was just coming to wake you up. You've been sleeping for a few hours now." She ducked under the umbrella, sitting beside him on the part of the towel less covered in sand. She then handed him the vanilla ice cream, which he took without much thought. His mind's front priority was to either stop the pain or go back to sleep. It was only after he stared at it for a minute, not hungry in the least, that he handed it back to her.
"I don't want it," he mumbled, wondering why she even got it for him. He wasn't as found of sweets as Hiyono was, especially when he first woke up.
"I thought you wouldn't," she said, finishing the last few bites of her own before taking his, "but then I thought you might be hungry and got it any way." She gladly started eating the ice cream, actually happy he didn't want it. She was starving and it was a thirty minute drive back to the city, a drive she had no desire being hungry during.
Ayumu turned away as she started eating, staring off at the deserted beach. He ran his hand through his hair, thinking he might have to take a shower when he got home. It felt like there might be sand in his hair, which made his scalp itch like crazy. He ran his hand along his face to rub his eyes, forgetting the burning pain and nearly hissing when it shot through his face.
Hiyono heard the quick intake of breath next to her. She looked up, curious as to what was wrong with the boy beside her. He was staring straight ahead, a look of pure discomfort on his face. A worried frown slowly made its way onto her face as she looked closer at him, noticing something she hadn't before.
Feeling her eyes staring at him, he glanced up at Hiyono. A frown had replaced her smile, making him turn his head completely. She seemed to be focusing on his face, her golden eyes filled with a sudden concern.
"Ayumu… your face looks red, are you alright?" She moved closer, putting her hand against his forehead as if to check for a fever. Her eyebrows shot up in wonder when he jerked back, slightly wincing. Her frown deepened. He didn't feel like he had a fever, but his face definitely didn't look like that when they got here. Her eyes traveled down, realizing his neck and chest were just as bad, if not worse, a red.
In fact, they almost looked like…
"Ayumu, did you forget to put on sun block?"
. . . Crap.
He knew he had forgotten something when he lay down. It had crossed his mind just as he was falling asleep, but hadn't clicked enough to wake him back up.
He shifted his eyes back to the beach, that headache feeling like it was going to get worse. How could he have forgotten to put on sun block? It was almost a rule that when going to the beach (or any where in the sun) you had to put on sun block. But then, this was the first time in a long time that he had been down to the beach.
And he had kind of hoped to keep it that way. He didn't really care for the beach, and now he was caring for it even less.
"Ayumu?"
He realized he hadn't answered her yet. He shifted slightly in place before answering with a low, "Hn".
"Ayumu!" He winced slightly as she raised her voice. That sharp pain in his head spiked again. Couldn't she see he was in enough pain due to the sunburn? He didn't need a headache on top of it.
"How could you have fallen asleep and got such a bad sunburn? Doesn't it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt that much," he lied. It felt like a dozen or more pins were stabbing him repeatedly, even if he held still. She, however, didn't need to know that.
Hiyono, however, knew that wasn't true before he even finished talking. She narrowed her eyes slightly before reaching over and giving his arm a sharp poke. The action made him both wince and cry out in pain. The spot on his arm where she poked him turned chalk white before fading back to red.
"It doesn't hurt that much, huh?" She said, mimicking him. She glared at him for a moment before her face softened. He was rubbing the spot where she just poked him, a dark stare on his face. She started to scolded herself in her mind. She shouldn't have done that. She knew sunburns hurt and he didn't need her making it worse.
"We should go, Ayumu." He looked over at her as she spoke. She was starting to pack the beach items she brought. "You should get some ointment on those burns before they get worse."
Worse? The sunburn could get worse? Although he would rather stay in place until he was more awake, that thought got him moving. Trying to ignore the pain that prickled on every inch of his skin, he hoisted himself off the ground. Hiyono followed, picking up the towel to put it in one of the few bags shad had brought. He grabbed the umbrella, leaving it open as he grabbed one of the bags to carry. At least this way he could stay out of the sun.
His legs felt unsteady as they made their way across the beach, and the shifting sand underfoot didn't help his sense of balance. The umbrella also didn't help. It was heavier then it seemed and not exactly easy to walk with it opened. He was glad when they left the beach and were on hard ground, heading down the path towards the street. The cement felt good beneath his feet.
A number of cars and vehicles drove down the street when they finally came to it. Hiyono threw the last of her ice cream in the garbage that they passed; saying something about sand getting in it, before going over to try and call a taxi.
Knowing it wouldn't take long, he closed the umbrella. Not even a full minute passed before he was irritated by the sun against his skin. Now that he thought about it, he was sure he had brought a shirt to wear and wondered what had happened to it.
Oh, that's right. Hiyono had got it wet when she tried to get him to go swimming with her, which is why he had moved farther up the beach to sit under the umbrella. It was probably at the bottom of one of the bags, still wet.
"Ayumu! Lets go!" He blinked, realizing he had zoned out. A taxi was pulled up beside the curb, the trunk popped as Hiyono put most of their things in it. He walked over, putting the umbrella and bag in the trunk as well. Hiyono was already getting in the car as he shut the trunk. He waked over to the other door a got in, thankful to be out of the sun and heat.
Ayumu didn't listen as she told the driver where to go. He leaned back on the seat, closing his eyes. He planned on resting during the drive there. He still felt drowsy and had a feeling that if his back didn't hurt so much he would fall back to sleep. At least the headache was starting to cease. The cooler air must be helping.
Hiyono looked over at him as he rested. His sunburn really did look bad. She hoped it wouldn't start to blister. Her eyes traveled down, looking at the darker red along his shoulders and collarbone. She always hated it when she got a sunburn; one reason she was so obsessed with remembering suntan lotion. That and to lower her risk for skin cancer in the future. Her eyes lowered, following the red burn that seemed to cover his whole upper body. How Ayumu of all people could have forgotten to put on sun block escaped her. He just wasn't the type of person to forget something like that.
It finally clicked in her mind that she was staring at his bare chest. She blinked before jerking her eyes away, staring out the window. She could feel her face turning pink even as she tried to focus on the flashing buildings outside. She wasn't sure why she was nervous all of a sudden. This wasn't the first time they had been swimming together, so she had seen him without a shirt on before. She glanced back over at him. His head had fallen to the side, giving her a good view of his face. She could clearly see the red burns across his cheeks and nose. She could even see it hidden under his bangs. A look of discomfort could be seen right along the edge of his face. It was almost unnoticeable. If she didn't know how to look for it, she wouldn't have seen it.
She felt a ping of guilt as she examined the burns. If she had woke him up sooner they probably wouldn't be so bad. However, when she found him sleeping he just looked so tired and peaceful that she couldn't bring herself to wake him up. It was probably a nice change to be sleeping on warm sand rather then the concrete roof of their school. So she had let him sleep. Though the umbrella hadn't fell over by then.
She looked back out the window, weighing her thoughts in her mind. Although she knew it wasn't her fault, she still felt responsible somehow. She stared past the scenery, lost in thought. She should do something for him, she thought. But there wasn't much she could do. She looked back at him. What was probably irritating him the most was the pain. She remembered her last sunburn. It wasn't a very pleasant experience. And she had only got her shoulders sunburned! She couldn't imagine having her whole upper body burned. There had to be something she could do to help him feel better.
He started to shift his position, though almost immediately stopped as a look of pain crossed his face. She realized his back was probably burned pretty bad too. It was a wonder he could even lean against the seat. If it was her, she would be leaning forward until she had some medicine put on it.
That's when the idea came to her. She had to look away from him, almost laughing from the thought of it. But when she really thought about it, it made sense. She looked out the window again, her lips press tightly together. That might work, though it could just as easily be considered taking advantage of the situation. She pushed that thought away, doing her best not to think of it that way. After all, she just wanted to help him.
But that didn't mean she couldn't have a bit of fun while she was at it.
Author Note: Well, there's the first chapter. I'm kind of nervous since I'm not sure how it turned out. Hopefully, I didn't do horrible.
I hope you well review. I really do care what you thought about it, even if it's negative. And I accept anonymous reviews, so even if you don't have an account you can tell me what you think so far. So please, tell me what you think! If I misspelled something or they seemed out-of-character don't be afraid to say so, those are actually some of the things I worry of doing and I will thank you again and again for pointing them out.
