Ocean Wind - Chapter 1

Main Pairing: Leon x Cloud

Warning: Male x Male Relationships, AU, major OOC, characters from other games, and also a pair of pointed ears, wings and mer-fin :D

A/N: I got the story idea when I watched Sailormoon anime again recently, hahaha. My favorites are Uranus and Neptune, and the title is actually based from their elements. But I don't write yuri, so I applied the idea to this couple instead.

With a few series that I have to write, I came up with another series (T.T) I apologize in advance if you have to wait for the continuations for ages (including for other series) I'm sorry m(_)m

This story is un-beta-ed. Don't flame me, please. It won't get me anywhere. Critiques and advices are much more appreciated. I don't use English daily, so forgive me for the awkwardness and errors. Every time I learned something, it quickly flies away. *sigh

People believed that wings were the symbol of freedom. A pair that could make you flying freely across the vast sky without anything or anyone hindered your way. But had they ever thought that something with wings would always have to find a place on solid land to rest when the sun was setting, or when their wings began to feel exhausted from flying all day? Granted, they couldn't fly forever.

That certain place to rest was something that Leon was looking for right now. Someplace where he could feel at ease and rested his tired wings for a moment so he could fly again when the next wind called him to soar through the sky again.

"The ocean is so blue," Leon muttered absentmindedly. His wings were flapping wearily, taking him to a place he even didn't know. "I wonder how deep that is."

He exhaled, wiping off the sweat on his forehead with the back of his wrist. His brown locks plastered persistently around his forehead and temples. He almost forgot how hot it could be to fly at this time of season, moreover across the unfathomed salt water of the ocean a few hundred feet below him. The smell of saltiness choked his throat and made him thirstier than the heat of the glaring sun caused above his head. He had to find fresh water quickly before he dried out to the bone like a dead dragonfly, or like his far cousin, Yuffie with her dragonfly-like wings who would play dead every time she ran out of idea to prank with anyone across her radar.

He groaned in annoyance, now he remembered something he didn't want to remember. And it made him thirstier than ever.

It took him a couple of minutes to finally capture a small spot a few kilometers away to the west. That must be an island, and an island meant water springs. His thought lit up at the thought of clear water he hoped soon to fill his dry throat. In excitement he flew faster to that small spot until it grew larger in his eyes and revealed a greenish island with pure white shore and a darker part at the west side consisted of black stones surrounded it like a ring with a black diamond on top.

He rushed against the wind he could hear how harsh his wings flapped behind his back. But before his eyes could capture any water source on that island, his eyes caught on something, or rather someone lying on the shore. He dove down onto the island and set his feet on the sand for a split second before he ran towards that figure.

Leon stopped like he'd just run into a wall. He could see the figure more clearly now. It was a man, naked, lying unmoving on his front. His complexion was pale compared to Leon's slightly tanned skin. This man had a pair of pointed ears that a bit different than his, his were shaped like a pair of perfectly shaped leaves whereas this man had a pair of ears that lengthened like a lizard's tail on the pointed parts. He also had bright golden hair that looked rough to the touch but actually felt really soft after Leon accidentally brushed his hand against it when he knelt down and pulled the man's shoulder to turn him over.

"Hey, are you okay?" Leon said as he slapped the man's cheek softly. He checked the man's body for possible injuries but suddenly he felt his face heated up and forced his eyes to stay above the man's waist, and then back up to his face.

Leon could hear the man groaned weakly in response. "… ter…"

"What?" Leon put his ear closer to the man's lips to hear what he wanted to say more clearly.

"Wa…ter… take me, to the sea."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "Sea? Why?"

"Hurry," the man croaked, his voice almost gave up.

Without further question, Leon quickly grabbed the man by his waist and put one arm around his shoulder. He shrugged the man's body with his own. Fortunately they were almost the same height so it didn't too hard to adjust their positions. Leon walked him gingerly to the sea rolling with small waves not far from them. Along that time he kept his eyes to the front, careful not to be impolite by staring at the naked body beside him, although he certainly felt the radiating heat on his palm that cupped the man's hip tightly.

It's so that he wouldn't fall, he convinced himself.

When their feet stepped on the part of the sand that was wet from the waves rolling on to the shore commutatively, the man suddenly pushed Leon aside and fell down then he crawled with all his might farther to the water.

"Hey!" Leon called after he found his balance. But the man had already disappeared, swallowed by the blue water and Leon couldn't see him anywhere among the sea foams. "What happened?" he murmured. What should he do now? He could only standing there and staring empty to the far ocean.

A few seconds later, Leon heard someone was calling him. "Hey! Hey, you!"

He turned his head around the place to look for the source of that voice. Not far from the place where he was standing, he saw golden hair from behind a cubical stone and a waving hand. Leon immediately strode over to that black stone. The nearer he got, the clearer the voice that was still calling him, also the clearer he could see the face of the man he helped earlier. The lower half of the man's body was in the water. Leon wondered why he didn't just come out, but then his attention was stolen by other things.

Leon didn't have the chance to examine it earlier. The man had a lovely face, but not in a girly way, not too masculine either. It was just the right portion of beautiful. His hair was spiky and still in place despite the water that clung on each strands like morning dews on twigs. There were some parts on his body that had glassy blue scales attached to them, such as on his left temple, framing the side of his left eye to its bottom. Then there also scales that circled his upper arms, spiraling down to just above his wrists. Down to his torso, Leon saw an intricate attachment of the scales on his abdomen to his right waist.

"Thanks for before," the man said in a friendly tone, smiling brightly.

Leon knelt down on the stone. The man had blue eyes. The deep color was like a solidified sea that spread vastly in front of him. "It's alri-" he stopped in the middle of the sentence. His words caught in his throat and he coughed a few times. He totally forgot what he came here for.

"What's wrong?" the man asked.

Leon shook his head lightly. He cleared his throat with a bit of force to talk. "It's okay. I'm just thirsty."

The man's ears perked up at Leon's admittance. He said, "Oh, then follow me. I know where the nearest spring is."

"Follow you?" Leon croaked. Follow him? How? However, before Leon could ask anything, the man had swum away. "Wait!" he called.

Leon followed the man, walking on the edge of the slippery stones carefully. He was too tired to use his wings to fly, or even to float. Leon squinted both of his eyes, trying to see the man's figure beneath the water and couldn't believe what he was just seen. The man was really a…

"There, behind you!" The man said, pointing to the area on the island across him. Leon turned his head; he saw a small cliff filled with vegetations twining around each other. And at the center of it, there was a hole with clear sparkly water streaming down from it, forming a water pit underneath.

Leon ran towards the spring, dropping to his knees abruptly at the shallow pit and made the water splashed around him. He scooped the fresh water with both hands and brought it to his lips. He sighed in contentment as his throat finally filled down with water again. After satisfying his thirst, he walked back to the edge of the stone where that man was now looking at him in amusement, leaning his chin onto his crossed arms on the stone.

"Thank you," Leon said as he sat down onto the stone a few inches beside the other man.

"You're welcome." Was the reply.

Leon cleared his throat. Hesitantly he peered below to what was beneath the water. "So, uh, you're a, mermaid? Ow!" He jolted when salt water splashed his face.

"Merman!" The man corrected indignantly. "Do you see anything swollen on my chest?!" he added while pointing at his own torso.

Leon's cheeks reddened and heated up. That merman was actually pouting, and Leon was totally captivated by it. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," he said in a hurry.

The merman looked appeased enough by Leon's apology, although a slight pout was still gracing his fair face. "I'm Cloud by the way."

Leon reached over to the outstretched hand and shook it. "My name's Leon. You have a unique name for a merfolk. Sorry, I didn't mean it in the bad way." The smile was back on Cloud's face, Leon guessed he didn't say anything wrong now, he silently relieved.

"When I was little, my mother said she always wanted to touch the clouds, which is of course impossible for us merfolk. So she gave me the name Cloud to represent her wish."

"I see."

"Is this the first time you see a merfolk?"

"Yes, actually. They say it's hard to see a merfolk who will come out of water willingly. I heard they are a shy creature and quite suspicious to other races," answered Leon. He stared at Cloud who was listening to him intently. "You seem fine with me though."

Cloud chuckled, splashing around the water with his tail fin. "You saved me earlier. So you must be a good person," he said genuinely with a bright smile on his face.

Leon couldn't help but smiling back to him. It'd never happened to him before; someone that could affect him so deeply.

"So," Cloud suddenly beamed, looking at him expectantly.

"So?" Leon repeated in a question.

"So how cloud feels like when you touch it? You are that winged race that always flying in the sky, right?" he exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the pair of black feathered wings with dark red feathers rimmed the edges that were perching on Leon's back. "You must have touched many clouds when you're flying. I always wanted to touch one since my mother said she wanted to. But you know, with a fin, I can't," Cloud ended with a wry face, showing the tail of his blue fin that emerged from the water behind his back and waving it.

"Aah, that's, how should I explain it." Leon scratched his temple with his forefinger. "Kind of cold, I guess," he began carefully, he was a bit hesitant to say that clouds were actually cannot be touched and then possibly destroying Cloud's childhood fantasy.

"Cold?" Cloud blinked in astonishment.

"Y-yeah. The… snow clouds? Snow is cold, right?! And, rainclouds are… wet?"

"Oh. Snow clouds are wet, uh, cold, and rainclouds are wet." Cloud nodded solemnly, repeating Leon's words. Leon grimaced. He felt guilty for Cloud's innocent reaction upon his fiddlesticks that he just made up.

"What about those clouds?" Leon's attention was taken back to the blond merman with his another question. He followed Cloud's finger that was pointing upward to the sky above them.

"Those ones are dry."

"Dry?"

Leon nodded slightly. "The sun is shining brightly today," he said non-explaining. But Cloud seemed to have his own imagination, so he let it go with a dry smile when Cloud nodded again, eyes full of understanding. He really couldn't go back now.

When he found out everything I said was bogus, he would smack me in the face with his fin, Leon lamented in his thoughts.

"So, Cloud," he said, bringing Cloud's attention to him. "How did you end up like that earlier?"

Cloud shrugged, grinning sheepishly, his eyes were darting around before going back to looked up anywhere except at Leon's face. "I was swimming like I always do, then a huge wave suddenly swooped me in and drifted me far to the shore of this island. I couldn't react fast enough to avoid the wave, it was too sudden and my minds were full of thoughts when it happened. Merfolk can't stay out of water too long; our bodies will become weak outside of water. So, well… as you seen it before, I could only lying on the beach until you came and saved me. Thanks again."

"You can't use your legs?"

"No." answered Cloud and shook his head. "Merfolk's fin would turn to a pair of legs when we got out of water, but unfortunately we cannot use them to walk like other races do. I tried a few times, but my legs always turned wobbly then I would fall onto the ground. They're useless, really."

"You don't want to try walking again?" Leon asked. He examined Cloud's face and found that Cloud was already given up to the possibility of walking with his legs.

"It's useless. My people believe it was because of the curse."

"Curse?"

"Yeah, well, it's just an old story. But I guess that was true, since we can still feel the effect of the curse until now."

"Can you tell me the story?" Leon asked. "Well, you know. I don't know much about merfolk, so it must be great to know something other than the usual things that other people already know."

"Of course." Cloud inhaled a deep breath and began his story. "A long time ago there was a beautiful mermaid princess lived in the ocean kingdom ruled by her father. One day he saw a man with a pair of legs sank into the sea with the broken ship that took him. She fell in love with him at first sight. It was stormy up there, and the princess intended to save the man by taking him to the palace but then she realized that the man couldn't breathe under water. So with all the courage she mustered, she broke through the storms and she finally could to take the man to the dry land. Before she left the unconscious man in that land, she made a promise to him that someday she would come back to find him and become his bride. Unbeknownst to her, the man was actually heard what she was saying, but he couldn't tell who it was because he still couldn't to open his eyes and see."

He looked up; Leon was still paid his attention to his story, so he continued again. "When the princess went back to the kingdom, she went to the dark cavern where a notorious black magic witch lived. She agreed to turn the princess' fin to a pair of legs in exchange of her beautiful voice. The princess agreed, then the witch took away her voice and said to her that when she got out of the water, her fin will turn to a pair of legs like the man she loved. She was happy even though she had to lose her beautiful voice in exchange of her wish. She immediately went to the land, and true, her fin turned into a pair of legs like the witch said. She was ecstatic at first."

"And?" Leon said to encourage him to continue.

"But her happiness turned to be her doom. She couldn't use her new legs. She couldn't even stand, moreover to walk. She tried and fell many times, but it was still useless. Instead, the witch who turned her fin and took her voice appeared behind her. She said the princess was so gullible to trust her. And then, the witch turned her ugly self to a figure of a beautiful woman and used the princess' voice as her own. The princess was shocked, but she couldn't say anything as the witch walked away. From behind the rocks, she saw the man she loved. He came to the beach everyday with hope to see the woman who rescued him. And there she saw the witch who had turn herself and use her voice came approaching him, then they walked away together with a promise of a happy marriage. In desperation and sadness, the princess used her last strength to crawl back to the sea. But her legs didn't change back into fin and she couldn't breathe under water anymore. So she died, turning into sea foams. Merfolk believe that in her last breath, the princess put a curse to the merfolk that although our fin can change to a pair of legs when we get out of water, we won't be able to use them. It's a reminder of our boundaries. How far we could go, and where we shouldn't go."

Cloud smiled wryly to him, remembering the princess' story was always made his spirit down. "And, is there a story too about your wings?" he asked, changing the subject.

"No. Not that I know of." Leon shook his head lightly. "You know, Cloud. Even if there are boundaries the merfolk believe, the sky has no boundaries. That was our, the winged race believe."

"You're lucky," Cloud commented.

"I'm sure you'll also be able to be free to go to wherever you want someday."

Cloud laughed then said, "Hm, I'd love that. Although I'm pretty sure I still cannot to fly into the sky to touch the clouds."

"I'll take you to fly." Leon promised firmly. There was no doubt in his words and that made Cloud almost wanted to believe everything he says.

They were looking at each other silently for a few minutes. Only the sound of the waves and seagulls squawking were heard. "It's already late. I have to go now," Cloud said, breaking the spell. He didn't know why, but looking at Leon for too long sent a thrill all over his body.

"Cloud!" Leon called when Cloud starting to move away. He leaned down to Cloud's eye level, looking at him right into his blue eyes. "Can we meet again?"

Cloud smiled. "Of course."

Leon reached over to Cloud's upper arm and brought it up, sliding his hand until he was clasping Cloud's hand. "I'll see you again here tomorrow, then?" he said it more like a promise than a question.

Cloud just shrugged in affirmative and pulled his hand, floating backwards then turning his back. He leaped down into the water, showing his blue tail fin and splashing the water as he dove deeper into the ocean.

Leon looked at the submerging figure, framed in the scenery of orange-colored sunset and the darkened sea. He would come back here again tomorrow.