For as long as the world has been in existence, it has always had to fight
to live. Even today, it struggles for survival.
On the busy shores of Coney Island, a slender figure made her way through the scantily clad sea of bodies swaying about as she walked. However, she hadn't any interest in them. She continued treading through the tawny sands until she reached the wooden planks of a boardwalk. With the fluent movements of a stealthy feline, she ascended the cedar steps up to the boardwalk, walking along its constructed path. The soles of her feet kissed the splinters of the boards with nary a scratch.
"Kitt-chan? So early this morning?"
"Konichiwa, Tatami-kun."
"Ohiyo!"
"Huh? Oh! Right!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly. "Sorry."
"Is okay. Is much better. Still learning."
"Yeah." she replied, still beaming. "Thanks." Her smile suddenly faded as a thought entered her mind. "Tatami-kun? How's Tab?"
The handsome young Japanese boy frowned. "Not so good, Kitt-chan."
She sighed, heavily. "He's not gotten any better?"
"Iie."
She sighed, raking her fingers through her long, dark locks. "What can be the matter with him?" she wondered.
The Japanese boy shrugged, apologetically. "Maybe Kitt-chan come see. Tab feel better when Kitt-chan here, yes?"
The chestnut colored girl smiled. "Maybe. I hope so, anyway. Thank you, Tatami-kun."
"Hai." he replied, bowing, slightly.
---------------------------------------------------------
The cold locker room floors were nothing compared to the cold chill that crept up Kitt's spine. She was worried and concerned about the condition of her friend. His behavior as of late was very disturbing to her. It wasn't
like him.
"Oh, Tab. What could be bothering you, so? What's the matter with you?" she thought, as she neatly placed her belongings in her locker. "I've tried everything, searched everything! But, nothing explains why you're acting
like this. What's the matter with you?"
"Hey, Kitt!" a voice called.
"Huh?" she gasped, as she was pulled from her thoughts. She spun around to face a tall, thin, blonde girl standing in a doorway. "What's the matter, Rebecca?"
"...Tab." the girl sighed.
Instantly, Kitt was at her side, bombarding her with an arsenal of inquiries as they walked through the halls of the facility. "What happened? Where is he? Is he okay?"
"I don't know. It's only 9:44 and he's already needed the rescue team, twice."
"He's doing it, again?"
"Yup! Still don't know why, though."
"This doesn't make any sense. What can be wrong with him?"
"If we knew that, we'd have a healthy fish on our hands, wouldn't we?"
The two girls turned a corner, leading out to a series of tanks and aquariums. They walked with hurried steps to one of the largest tanks where they were greeted by the high-pitched clicks and squeaks of an adolescent male dolphin. It swam up to the edge of the pool, bobbing its silvery head out of the waters.
"Hey, you!" Kitt said to the young mammal, not pausing to greet it further. There were more pressing matters to attend to.
At the other end of the tank, a squad of people could be seen hovering over another dolphin that had managed to beach itself onto the aquarium's shallow edge. The people were trying to get the animal back into the water where he belonged, but, as hard as they tried to get him in, his efforts of resistance were even greater. He would not return.
"Oh no..." Kitt breathed, as she sprinted off in the direction of the beached water creature.
"WATCH IT! LET HER THROUGH!" Rebecca called from behind her.
Kitt dashed up the expanse, pushing her way through the mass of bodies blocking her way. When she finally reached her target, she dropped beside him, speaking softly.
"Tab, baby, what's the matter? You know you can't survive like this. You have to get back in the water!"
The porpoise squeaked and clicked at her, gently nudging her with its fin.
"Come on, Tab! You have to get back in the water!" Kitt insisted.
The dolphin continued to squeak and nudge her when it unexpectedly let out an extremely high pitched cry. As if by its call, all of the other creatures at the facility who had voice to add to the chorus, joined in.
From the lumbering walrus, to the ethereal beluga, and even the agile penguins, all contributed their song into the mix, creating a deafening orchestra vibrating through out the facility.
"GEEZ!" Rebecca yelled over the noise. "Kitt, can you make him stop?" she added, turning to her friend only to find that she was not there. "Kitt? KITT?!!"
---
A tranquil cerulean embrace. The sweet kiss of a polar lover. Blissful contentment. Carried away by the current of dreams.
---
"...what is this?" she mused. "Where am I?"
As if to answer her silent inquiry, Tab appeared at her side, along with the young male that shared his tank.
"...Tab?" she whispered. "...you're swimming. ...then...I'm...underwater. No...I'd be dead, then...wouldn't I?"
The dolphin and his younger counterpart swam before her, not able to verbalize an answer to her question. They began to swim in a tight, perfect, circle, gradually increasing in speed with each moment. Their speed continued to accelerate, so much that it disturbed the tranquility of the water around them, creating a controlled twister. It began to pull at Kitt's suspended form, drawing her into its path. Oddly, she did not resist its pull. She didn't know why, but she didn't feel in anyway threatened by its course.
It continued to drag her into itself until it brought her through the circle created by the dolphins. Passing through the vortex, she felt as though she were re-born, not from the flesh of man...but of the womb of the waters...
"...Kitt..." someone whispered. "...Kitt..."
---
"Kitt?! Kitt?! Kitt, wake up!" she heard someone saying. She felt someone shaking her, rather violently, pulling her from her abyss. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. She found herself looking up at an azure sky, the sun beaming down furiously, and her clothes completely soaked.
"OH! THANK GOD!" she heard Rebecca cry as she simultaneously felt herself being lifted into her embrace. "I thought you were..."
"...dead?" Kitt finished.
"Uh-huh."
"No. ...wh-...what happened to me?"
Rebecca pulled away from her so that she could look at the water- saturated girl as she spoke. "You fell in the tank. I don't know how, but that's where we found you. Majana pulled you out." she said, gesturing to a tall,
slender African boy.
"Oh. I-...I don't remember." Kitt said, shyly, taking in the sight of the man kneeling beside her. He gave her a look of genuine concern, but didn't say anything.
Rebecca smiled. "It's okay. That's to be expected. Come on, let's get you into the medic room."
"...right." Kitt answered, weakly.
Rebecca and Majana helped the distraught young female to her feet while the on looking trainers and miscellaneous employees looked on. They started on their way to the medical facility, supporting her as they went.
"Kitt, by the way, what's that thing in your hand?" Rebecca asked.
"What?" Kitt mused, drawing her hand up to her. She hadn't noticed it before, but in her palm was a shimmering black orb with a silvery-blue character of Asian writing embedded deep with its center. She looked at it,
not knowing what to make of the gem.
"I...I don't know." she admitted, not much higher than a whisper. "I don't know...what this is."
Kitten Mouri-chan
On the busy shores of Coney Island, a slender figure made her way through the scantily clad sea of bodies swaying about as she walked. However, she hadn't any interest in them. She continued treading through the tawny sands until she reached the wooden planks of a boardwalk. With the fluent movements of a stealthy feline, she ascended the cedar steps up to the boardwalk, walking along its constructed path. The soles of her feet kissed the splinters of the boards with nary a scratch.
"Kitt-chan? So early this morning?"
"Konichiwa, Tatami-kun."
"Ohiyo!"
"Huh? Oh! Right!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly. "Sorry."
"Is okay. Is much better. Still learning."
"Yeah." she replied, still beaming. "Thanks." Her smile suddenly faded as a thought entered her mind. "Tatami-kun? How's Tab?"
The handsome young Japanese boy frowned. "Not so good, Kitt-chan."
She sighed, heavily. "He's not gotten any better?"
"Iie."
She sighed, raking her fingers through her long, dark locks. "What can be the matter with him?" she wondered.
The Japanese boy shrugged, apologetically. "Maybe Kitt-chan come see. Tab feel better when Kitt-chan here, yes?"
The chestnut colored girl smiled. "Maybe. I hope so, anyway. Thank you, Tatami-kun."
"Hai." he replied, bowing, slightly.
---------------------------------------------------------
The cold locker room floors were nothing compared to the cold chill that crept up Kitt's spine. She was worried and concerned about the condition of her friend. His behavior as of late was very disturbing to her. It wasn't
like him.
"Oh, Tab. What could be bothering you, so? What's the matter with you?" she thought, as she neatly placed her belongings in her locker. "I've tried everything, searched everything! But, nothing explains why you're acting
like this. What's the matter with you?"
"Hey, Kitt!" a voice called.
"Huh?" she gasped, as she was pulled from her thoughts. She spun around to face a tall, thin, blonde girl standing in a doorway. "What's the matter, Rebecca?"
"...Tab." the girl sighed.
Instantly, Kitt was at her side, bombarding her with an arsenal of inquiries as they walked through the halls of the facility. "What happened? Where is he? Is he okay?"
"I don't know. It's only 9:44 and he's already needed the rescue team, twice."
"He's doing it, again?"
"Yup! Still don't know why, though."
"This doesn't make any sense. What can be wrong with him?"
"If we knew that, we'd have a healthy fish on our hands, wouldn't we?"
The two girls turned a corner, leading out to a series of tanks and aquariums. They walked with hurried steps to one of the largest tanks where they were greeted by the high-pitched clicks and squeaks of an adolescent male dolphin. It swam up to the edge of the pool, bobbing its silvery head out of the waters.
"Hey, you!" Kitt said to the young mammal, not pausing to greet it further. There were more pressing matters to attend to.
At the other end of the tank, a squad of people could be seen hovering over another dolphin that had managed to beach itself onto the aquarium's shallow edge. The people were trying to get the animal back into the water where he belonged, but, as hard as they tried to get him in, his efforts of resistance were even greater. He would not return.
"Oh no..." Kitt breathed, as she sprinted off in the direction of the beached water creature.
"WATCH IT! LET HER THROUGH!" Rebecca called from behind her.
Kitt dashed up the expanse, pushing her way through the mass of bodies blocking her way. When she finally reached her target, she dropped beside him, speaking softly.
"Tab, baby, what's the matter? You know you can't survive like this. You have to get back in the water!"
The porpoise squeaked and clicked at her, gently nudging her with its fin.
"Come on, Tab! You have to get back in the water!" Kitt insisted.
The dolphin continued to squeak and nudge her when it unexpectedly let out an extremely high pitched cry. As if by its call, all of the other creatures at the facility who had voice to add to the chorus, joined in.
From the lumbering walrus, to the ethereal beluga, and even the agile penguins, all contributed their song into the mix, creating a deafening orchestra vibrating through out the facility.
"GEEZ!" Rebecca yelled over the noise. "Kitt, can you make him stop?" she added, turning to her friend only to find that she was not there. "Kitt? KITT?!!"
---
A tranquil cerulean embrace. The sweet kiss of a polar lover. Blissful contentment. Carried away by the current of dreams.
---
"...what is this?" she mused. "Where am I?"
As if to answer her silent inquiry, Tab appeared at her side, along with the young male that shared his tank.
"...Tab?" she whispered. "...you're swimming. ...then...I'm...underwater. No...I'd be dead, then...wouldn't I?"
The dolphin and his younger counterpart swam before her, not able to verbalize an answer to her question. They began to swim in a tight, perfect, circle, gradually increasing in speed with each moment. Their speed continued to accelerate, so much that it disturbed the tranquility of the water around them, creating a controlled twister. It began to pull at Kitt's suspended form, drawing her into its path. Oddly, she did not resist its pull. She didn't know why, but she didn't feel in anyway threatened by its course.
It continued to drag her into itself until it brought her through the circle created by the dolphins. Passing through the vortex, she felt as though she were re-born, not from the flesh of man...but of the womb of the waters...
"...Kitt..." someone whispered. "...Kitt..."
---
"Kitt?! Kitt?! Kitt, wake up!" she heard someone saying. She felt someone shaking her, rather violently, pulling her from her abyss. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. She found herself looking up at an azure sky, the sun beaming down furiously, and her clothes completely soaked.
"OH! THANK GOD!" she heard Rebecca cry as she simultaneously felt herself being lifted into her embrace. "I thought you were..."
"...dead?" Kitt finished.
"Uh-huh."
"No. ...wh-...what happened to me?"
Rebecca pulled away from her so that she could look at the water- saturated girl as she spoke. "You fell in the tank. I don't know how, but that's where we found you. Majana pulled you out." she said, gesturing to a tall,
slender African boy.
"Oh. I-...I don't remember." Kitt said, shyly, taking in the sight of the man kneeling beside her. He gave her a look of genuine concern, but didn't say anything.
Rebecca smiled. "It's okay. That's to be expected. Come on, let's get you into the medic room."
"...right." Kitt answered, weakly.
Rebecca and Majana helped the distraught young female to her feet while the on looking trainers and miscellaneous employees looked on. They started on their way to the medical facility, supporting her as they went.
"Kitt, by the way, what's that thing in your hand?" Rebecca asked.
"What?" Kitt mused, drawing her hand up to her. She hadn't noticed it before, but in her palm was a shimmering black orb with a silvery-blue character of Asian writing embedded deep with its center. She looked at it,
not knowing what to make of the gem.
"I...I don't know." she admitted, not much higher than a whisper. "I don't know...what this is."
Kitten Mouri-chan