Summary:

What if Hikari's return to the surface and from hibernation didn't go so smoothly? How did the surface react to the hibernation and the climate change and how will they react to the sudden return of one of the sea people? The first part fills in a gap from when Hikari is first found on the beach. Later chapters are decidedly AU from that point.

This story focuses on Tsumugu and Hikari, with more emphasis put on the larger, world implications of the climate change and the familial relationships and a developing brotherly relationship between Tsumugu and a younger Hikari. Not romance or slash. Sorry to any Manaka or Kaname fans, there will be very little of them in this story.

Chapter 1

When Tsumugu saw the strange movement of the currents on Professor Mihashi's computer, he felt something. Something in the sea had changed and it was tugging at him. Without thinking, he took off running, following the feeling inside him and the sudden glow of the sea under the ice. The feeling pulsed within him in a way he'd never felt before and he knew something, something important, was happening.

As he ran the glow grew until it centered and flooded an area not far from the beach. Miuna was there as well, just was wild-eyed and windswept as he was. Their eyes meet in confusion and almost simultaneously they turned to look at the beach.

Tsumugu's breath caught in his throat. There was a small, naked figure lying on his side, washed up on the beach. It had been five years, but he still instantly recognized him.

"Hikari," Tsumugu breathed, and then he was off and running again, Miuna following behind him. Tsumugu's usual logic and calm fled, his panicked mind noting how still Hikari was. He was confused. What had happened? Why now? Was Hikari even alive? He slid to his knees at Hikari's side, scanning him quickly. He hadn't changed at all from that day five years ago, hadn't aged a bit. He was a bit scratched up, bruised, naked and still wet from the sea. Tsumugu quickly pulled off his coat and draped it over Hikari's body.

"He's not breathing," Miuna frantically said. It was true, Hikari was still, so unnaturally still. Miuna leaned over started giving Hikari mouth-to-mouth. Tsumugu stood and backed up a bit in confusion and horror.

"I'm not sure that works on someone from the sea –" Tsumugu's thought was cut off as Hikari suddenly gasped and shot up to a sitting position.

"Manaka!" Hikari exclaimed, blue eyes wide and panicked. He looked around, obviously confused. "Who are you?" he asked, looking at a now 14 year old Miuna.

Miuna rocked back on her heels. "That's Miuna," Tsumugu quietly said.

"Tsumugu?" Hikari asked, plainly startled by how he looked. Tsumugu just nodded, too stunned himself to elaborate. He couldn't even begin to imagine how much of a shock this all had to be for him. Hikari looked between them both, then shakily stood up and turned to look at the frozen over sea. For a moment, they all just stood there in silence. Then Hikari trembled, took half a step backward and fell back onto the sand, shivering and hugging his knees to himself. The movement jump started Tsumugu's thoughts from the stunned fog it had been in since he caught sight of the boy. He quickly picked his coat back up and draped it over Hikari's shoulders.

"Miuna, go find Akari and get the paramedics down here." Miuna nodded and took off towards the group of people who had gathered to view the Tomoebe. Tsumugu eyed Hikari carefully. He was still shaking, clutching the coat tightly around his small frame and staring out towards the frozen sea. While it was true Hikari hadn't changed a bit since Tsumugu last saw him, he still looked different to Tsumugu's eyes. As kids, Hikari's loud voice, quick temper, and fierce feelings always made him seem large and solid. But now, Hikari seemed smaller, younger to Tsumugu's eyes. For the first time, he took in just how small Hikari's frame really was, how soft and young his face looked, not having completely left behind the softness of adolescence.

"What –" Hikari cleared his throat, swallowing the words. "How long?" he asked instead.

"It's been five years since that day. You, Manaka, Kaname, everyone in Shishishio, we couldn't know for sure, but we assumed you went into hibernation." Tsumugu hesitated, letting that all sink in, knowing there was so much more to be said, but not wanting to overwhelm Hikari. "You're the first to return, to wake up."

Hikari just kept staring blankly at the sea. In the distance, Tsumugu began to hear a bit of a commotion, Miuna must have reached the others. He hoped they wouldn't all rush over here at once. It'd be too much, too soon.

"What about Chisaki? Akari?" Hikari finally asked. Tsumugu smiled faintly. Another thing that hadn't changed. Hikari was always thinking of others before himself. "Chisaki was stuck on the surface with us. Grandpa and I took her in. She's, we're, 19 now. Akari is fine, married to Itaru." Tsumugu breathed, not sure how much more to say at this point. Not sure it was his place to say more. Before he could decide, Professor Mihashi came running up, panting and out of breath.

"Tsumugu, what – who?" The professor pushed his glasses up on his nose, peering intently at the strange sight of Hikari, sitting naked with just Tsumugu's coat on his shoulders.

"Hikari!" Akari's voice called out from a distance. She was running in their direction, followed by Miuna. "Hikari! Hikari!" Hikari's head whipped around, eyes filling with moisture at the sight of his older sister. He scrambled, trying to stand up, but his shaky legs wouldn't hold him and he fell back onto his knees, reaching out towards her. His hoarse voice returned her call, "Akari!"

Akari threw herself down to his side on the sand, desperately hugging Hikari, tears streaming from her eyes. She pushed back, swiping a hand through Hikari's hair and down onto his shoulders. Cupping his cheek with her other hand, peering into his unchanged, tearful face. "Hikari, oh Hikari," she sobbed, clutching him to her once more.

Tsumugu stood, brushed off his pants and went back to stand next to his advisor, leaving the siblings to their tearful reunion.

"Tsumugu, what is going on? Who is that?" Professor Mihashi asked, perplexed. Tsumugu walked a few paces back, the professor following.

"That's Hikari. He's from Shishishio. Five years ago, he went overboard during the Ofunehiki. He disappeared with the rest of the people of the sea, presumably hibernating. We just found him on the beach, naked and initially not breathing. Then, he just suddenly woke up."

"He's one of the lost ones? He returned? Woke up from hibernation?" the professor gasped, turning quickly to look again at the small group huddled together on the sand. "That's – wow. I wonder…" The professor paused, thinking, before looking back at Tsumugu.

"Is he alright?" the professor asked. "You said he wasn't breathing…"

"I don't know for sure. I asked Miuna to call for the paramedics. He seemed a bit scrapped up, cold and shaky, but I don't know. Seemed mostly okay, as far as I could tell," Tsumugu replied worriedly.

"I'll go see if I can find those paramedics and make sure they find him alright," Mihashi replied, patting Tsumugu's shoulder in a comforting manner and jogging off in the direction of the others. Tsumugu sighed in relief. Professor Mihashi was a good man. Always curious, always itching to learn more about Shishishio and the people of the sea, but kind and thoughtful as well. He'd not only make sure the paramedics found them, but the keep everyone else away, make sure Hikari and Akari weren't crowed by the rest of the curious and excited people of Oshiooshi. Tsumugu nodded to himself, and moved to stand next to Miuna. Available to help if needed, but out of the way.

Akari had mixed feelings about going to view the Tomoebi, just like she had mixed feelings about the sea since that day five years ago. The sea would always have a place in her heart, her beloved home, full of love and memories both good and bad. But she had lost so much to it as well. The hurt of her love being rejected. The pain of losing her father and the entire town to the mysterious hibernation. And Hikari. Loving, passionate Hikari who stood up for her, who wanted her to follow her heart, her beloved little brother was lost so violently on that day. She'd had no assurances of what happened to him. Itaru, Tsumugu and the others all tried to reassure her. He's just sleeping, safe with the others, they said. And she tried to believe it. Believe the fact he couldn't be found, just like Shishishio, meant he was safe, asleep with her father. But in the back of her mind she also knew there were no guarantees. No way to know that was the case. Hikari could also just as easily have been hurt, killed by the violence of the sea on that day, taken by the Sea God. Either way, it wasn't his choice. Either way, she might never see him again.

In the end, she decided to come. To remember Shishishio, pray for her missing family and everyone asleep in the sea, to try to hold onto the beautiful memories she still had.

She was as shocked as everyone else when the ringing sound and started and the sea began to glow in conjunction with the Tomoebi. She held her breath and watched as it grew more intense, the very air charged and then suddenly, nothing. The glow stopped, the pressure around everyone just popped. Everyone arrayed on ice and the beach began to murmur, talking amongst themselves, wondering what was going on.

Wondering and talking. There was a lot of that these past five years. It wasn't just Shishishio and Hikari that had disappeared on that day. All 17 of the sea villages had just vanished. It was all over the news, everyone in a panic, unsure and wondering what had happened. In a way, it had shaken the entire country and surface world. Before, hardly anyone paid any attention to the sea people. They were an oddity, sure, but tiny, insignificant compared to the mass and wealth of the surface. Seen as a strange, secretive, and superstitious people, no one really paid that much attention. But their sudden and unexplained disappearance was disconcerting. Even more worrying, the sudden freezing of the sea. And then the climate noticeably began to change. What had been just an unusually cold year was suddenly the start of a global climate change and bizarre weather phenomenon driven by the still, cold sea.

And then, then the surface cared. The government and people took an intense interest. Special sessions were called, funding dedicated to research, team after team of scientists would go out, trying to get to the sea villages, studying the ocean, interviewing the sea people who remained on the surface. Some had called for their detainment, to study and question them. Suddenly, the people of the surface realized how little they knew, how much they didn't understand about the people of the sea and what was happening. And that scared them.

Cooler heads luckily prevailed, and while scientists continued to the study and look for answers, the public furor had calmed somewhat and governments focused on adaptation and plans for the future. Small Oshiooshi and the tiny village of Shishishio were now mostly left alone. Only Tsumugu and his lab still coming out regularly to study the sea and try to learn what happened and what will happen. Life went on. The rest of the scientist focused on the larger communities, in other areas around the world.

But now this. Another change. What had happened? Suddenly, Akari heard her name being called down below on the beach. Miuna – she was in the center of a group of people calling for her. Akari made her way down from the wharf, jogging to see what was going on.

"Miuna – Miuna – what is it? What's wrong?" Akari pushed her way through the crowd, steadying Miuna with her hands on her shoulders.

"Okaasan – it's Hikari."

"Hikari?" Akari pulled back a bit in shock.

"Yes, there was this glow, and I ran, and Tsumugu was there, and Hikari! Hikari was just lying there on the beach. And I'm supposed to find the paramedics and get you and –" Akari hugged Miuna quickly, stopping her.

"Someone, call the ambulance. Get the paramedics down here," Akari shouted to the crowd, before taking off running down the beach, following the tracks in the sand left by Miuna. She quickly saw two figures huddled together on the sand in the distance. She didn't stop to question, to wonder how or why. She just called. Called for her little brother.

Eventually, Akari sat back, brushing the tears from her face and really took the time to look at Hikari. He was cold, his body chilled and thin. Was he always so thin? Akari couldn't recall with any certainty. He was the same, not aged at all. And there. Alive and there in her arms. She settled in next to him, keeping him close, letting him lean on her for warmth. His cries had also lessened, but tears still leaked from his eyes and he leaned into her shoulder.

Akari looked to Miuna and Tsumugu. "Thank you," she whispered, and they both silently nodded.

Two paramedics came rushing up to them, bags in hand, the lights of the ambulance flashing above them up on the road.

"Akari," one of them said, nodding to her, recognizing her from the shop. The paramedics were volunteers, nurses and medical staff who lived in the area and worked at the nearby hospital. "Let's take a look, shall we?" He said, gently touching Hikari's other shoulder and lowered him down to lie back on the sand. Akari moved back a bit to make room for the other paramedic, staying by Hikari's head, brushing a hand through his locks to reassure him. Hikari was quiet and didn't protest the motion or their exam at all, his eyes half-lidded in exhaustion.

"Can someone tell me what happened?" The paramedic asked, not looking up from where he was examining a scratch on Hikari's ribcage.

Tsumugu stepped forward. "We found him, I'm not sure, maybe 15 minutes ago, just laying here, washed up on the beach. He was cold and, initially, he wasn't breathing," Akari sucked in a breath and froze briefly. "But he suddenly just woke up and seemed to be breathing fine after that. He stood briefly, but he's been shaky and pretty quiet."

"Okay, we'll take a look, make sure everything is alright," the paramedic reassured. They examined his arms, torso, legs, listened to Hikari's heart, sat him up, listened to his lungs, checked his ena. They were calm, and sure, quietly explaining their actions each step of the way. Akari was grateful to them and Hikari was calm, responded to their questions, breathed and moved when they asked. They wrapped him in the emergency blankets, and handed him a bottle of water and instructed him to take slow sips.

The one Akari recognized stood up, and motioned for her to follow him a few steps away from where Hikari was now settled, surrounded on both sides by the protective presence of Tsumugu and Miuna. "Akari," the paramedic started, "He seems to be fine. That's the most important thing. He's cold, a little dehydrated, maybe a touch underweight, has a few scratches and bruises, but nothing serious. As far as I can tell, he seems healthy." Akari sighed in relief. "He's was one of the lost ones? Hibernating?" he asked.

"Yes, for five years. He hasn't aged, hasn't changed at all…" Akari trailed off, unable to explain or even truly comprehend what had happened.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you," the paramedic said. "I have no experience with this, there's no precedent. But from what I can tell, there doesn't seem to be any reason to take him in to the emergency room. But it's your call."

Akari nodded, thinking. "I'll take him home. This, all of this, it must be overwhelming. I think he'd be better off at home," Akari paused, a little uncertain. Was she making the right choice? What if there was something wrong and something happened because she didn't take him to the hospital?

"I think you're making the right decision, if that helps," the paramedic said, nodding. "How about this? We help you get him to your place, we'll call the doctor and have him take a look to at your home. How's that sound?"

"Would you? Oh, that would be great," Akari smiled, relieved. The local doctor was an old, familiar face to both Hikari and her. She could get him home and still be sure he was checked out and properly cared for. "Thank you so much."

Hikari was coming home.