a/n: Another little Fudou oneshot I've been toying with forever. Shortly before the submarine blows up, Fudou is talking to Kageyama. A few seconds later, we see the lifeboats, already full of people – and Fudou not one of them. Then where was Fudou and how'd he get out alive?
dedication: to the second-best character on the show.
disclaimer: i own nothing.
summary: Mermaid's fingers pull you down, their siren song calls below. – Fudou.
davy jones
"All the players you've gathered are second-rate, Fudou, including yourself."
Water, water, nothing but water, no matter which way he turned.
His lungs burned with the need for oxygen, his arms frantically trying to pull him up as his clothes weighted him down, pulling him to the dark abyss he could see below him.
His eyes screamed in pain as he tried to see beyond the dark blue that awaited him, the dark death that lurked below. Behind him, he knew that the submarine was floating to the bottom – he'd only narrowly escaped the same watery grave.
When he felt the sudden descent, he'd assumed that the submarine was sinking below, yet again. The alarms were just alarms – Kageyama would not sacrifice the ship to escape Aliea's wrath. However, it looked like Fudou had overestimated Kageyama's ability to make sane and rational decisions.
He had gone to the observation deck, waiting for the glass walls to go up, hoping that the sight of the dark ocean water would calm down the anger and hurt he felt at Kageyama's words.
He'd realized that the walls had not gone up a moment before water came roaring into the hallway, the explosion coming seconds later. He had run all the way to the front entrance, the water following behind him, surging forward like a vengeful wraith.
Fudou had reached the door and wrenched it open, only to get slammed against the wall with the sudden influx of water. It had filled his mouth in his shock, and he had swallowed large quantities of seawater as he tried to regain his bearings.
He had managed to make it free of the steel trap seconds before it closed around him, but his situation now was no better. He was no swimmer, his lungs were crying for oxygen and his head throbbed from where it had hit the metal wall from the force of the sudden release of pressure.
On top of it, his body ached, sore with bruises and cuts and overused muscles. The match was a mockery – Fudou had been so sure that they would win. Three goals – that was all he asked for and he only got one, Raimon scoring another to match their point.
The team – his team – had been a complete and utter failure and Fudou had finally opened his eyes to the truth. Kageyama was a monster and Fudou wondered what took him so long to realize it. What he did to Sakuma and Genda was horrific and Fudou could only be thankful it hadn't been him.
The Aliea – Fudou caught sight of the purple stone drifting in the water, the thread around his neck suddenly feeling like a chain. Swearing inwardly, he grabbed the stone and pulled, the thread breaking easily.
He threw it down – down to the blackness that awaited at the bottom of the sea, hungry for victims, longing for the taste of human flesh. Watching as the stone sank, Fudou turned to the surface, to the glimmer of gray he could see above him, and forced his protesting muscles to reach for it.
He broke the surface of the water with a gasp, cold winds buffeting him the minute he stuck his head out. Fudou turned in a circle, his legs kicking furiously to keep his head above the surface, his eyes squinting against the wind. He saw a flash of light red, or dark orange and turned his head in that direction, seeing the docks as the sea pulled him below yet again.
This time, Fudou struck out blindly in that general direction, pausing to take occasional gasps of air and swallowing more water in the process. Finally, his fingers brushed against rough concrete and he attempted to haul himself up, his numb fingers trying to find handholds on the uneven surface.
He fell back again, his eyes noting the distance to the top of the docks and realizing it was too much – he would never be able to cling to the jagged concrete and pull himself up that high. Still, Fudou made another attempt, managing to grab a section that jutted out before his strength failed him.
He was forced to let go, his hand scraping against the wall, which scored a deep gash across his palm – a gash that burned like hell the minute the icy saltwater made contact. Fudou screamed – the scream of a drowning man, half-strangled by the water.
He tried to pull himself up again, but the ocean had sapped his energy from him and his hand limply slid down the wall again, Fudou sinking deeper as his legs began cramping, unable to keep up the desperate kicking that kept Fudou's head above water.
A hand caught his arm before he sank more than a foot, grabbing him and hauling him up and aboard what seemed to be a boat, if the rocking was any indication.
Fudou could feel the coarse wood under his hands as he lay in a crumpled position, sputtering and coughing up water, the cold wind abusing his wet and bedraggled state. Someone took notice of his violent shudders and draped a heavy blanket over him.
Fudou attempted to get up but it said a lot for his pathetic condition that he could only struggle to his knees, the blanket feeling like an anvil keeping him down. He could smell the sea – a sickening scent that he now associated with danger and darkness. The wind picked up, the scent growing stronger until Fudou felt nauseous.
He threw up, his stomach heaving as it ejected the large quantity of water he'd swallowed. Seawater came spewing out of his mouth, his throat burning as his stomach tensed.
Fudou could feel the burn in his eyes give way to warm tears that dripped down his face, carving its burning trails as it mixed with the saltwater. The boat rocked as they neared the pier – Fudou could hear people shouting, hear the exchange of commands in words he was too tired to understand. The wind picked up, roaring in his ears, drowning out all the other sounds as his body again slumped, exhausting chilling his bones.
He caught a glimpse of the sea as he was picked off the boat, carried to a waiting ambulance – it was roiled up, foaming, green and blue and gray clashing together under the overcast skies.
Fudou smiled at the ocean as the clouds finally gave way to their burden, the rain dampening the ground in a matter of seconds. Not today, he told the sea, the waves lashing against the docks with the anger of being denied yet another victim, I will not drown today.
le fin
a/n: Probably my most extensive knowledge comes from swimming. Never drowned, myself, but I know what it's like to spend too much time in the sea – it drains you, no matter how good of a swimmer you are.