It was just supposed to be a fun trip for the three student council members. They were just supposed to relax and have fun. It was only supposed to be a break from their high school council jobs. It was supposed to be a lot of things…but nobody could have predicted what happened.
They had gone to an island for the break during school and Nokoru had reserved a place in an underwater dining area. The walls and ceiling were made of a very strong glass so you could see out into the water and all the fish that came by.
They were going to eat there in the middle of their trip; but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's go back to when they first got onto the island…
/
Nokoru smiled and turned to his two companions. Suoh didn't change much from elementary but he was taller, broader, and even further in his ninja training. Akira had let his hair grow out and it was now up in braid that hung down his back. He had also gotten blue highlights for some reason and when he walked in with them; all Suoh and Nokoru could do was stare. When anyone asked him why he grew it out all he answered was, 'I wanted to' with a bright smile. He had also grown taller and was almost as tall as Suoh. They both were taller than Nokoru. Akira's eyes were still full of life and he was energetic but no longer the shy and naïve boy he sued to be. Even if he didn't look it; he was just as dangerous as Suoh. They had learned that lesson a few years ago during a kidnapping that had gone wrong. Let's just say that they found out what happens when their younger friend gets mad.
"Isn't this great?" Nokoru asked. "The ocean looks so nice!" Akira smiled and nodded his agreement. "Let's check into the hotel and then go look around the island." Nokoru said and started heading towards the hotel where they would be staying.
Akira and Suoh followed him. When they checked in, they each got their own rooms and Suoh forced Nokoru to be in the middle room just in case. Nokoru knew better then to argue so he just put his things into his room and then dragged the two down to the beach after they had changed.
Nokoru was in swim trunks, sandals and a tee-shirt. Suoh and Akira were dressed the same. Even if Nokoru couldn't swim that well, he still stayed went in up to his knees and had fun trying to splash his two friends.
For the next few hours, they had fun on the beach and wandered around the island. When it was time for dinner, the three just ate in the small restraint the hotel had attached to it. They turned in early that night.
When they woke up, they had breakfast before they went back outside and to the beach. Nokoru smiled when he got an idea and waited until Suoh was distracted before he filled a bucket full of water and dumped it right onto Suoh's head.
Suoh stood blinking for a moment before he growled out, "Kaichou!" And started chasing the older boy around while Akira just sat and laughed at the scene. When Suoh caught Nokoru, he picked the boy up easily and ignored the shouts of protest as he flung the older boy into the pool.
Nokoru came up and glared at Suoh. "You know I can't swim!" He said.
"That's why I threw you somewhere you could stand." Suoh replied with a smirk.
Nokoru frowned and said, "Akira, throw Suoh into the pool!" There was no reply and they both turned to look for their younger friend. They finally spotted him over by a group of people and talking to them. The group smiled and laughed along with Akira. "Ne, Suoh," Nokoru said, "Do you know them?"
"No." Suoh said. When Akira finally came back, Nokoru asked, "Who were they?"
"I'm not sure." Akira said, "They just got lost and were looking for the hotel."
Nokoru nodded and then asked, "Akira, will you please push Suoh into the pool?"
"Why?" Akira asked.
"He threw me into knowing I can't swim well!" Nokoru said and glared at a smirking Suoh.
"But he didn't throw you in where you couldn't' stand, and you did throw a bucket of water on him earlier." Akira pointed out and Nokoru glared at him as well.
"Who's side are you on?" He demanded.
"This is between you two. I'm not on a side." Akira said wisely and went over to a chair before sitting down and watching the two.
After a while, Suoh and Nokoru came to a truce. "Ne, Akira," Nokoru said with a sly smile, "How come you haven't gotten very wet today?"
"Why do you ask?" Akira asked right back. He already knew what was coming but he didn't want to spoil his friend's fun.
"Well, Suoh and I have both gotten soaked and you're still all dry." Nokoru said innocently.
"Do you want me to get wet?" Akira asked. "It doesn't' matter to me either way; I've just not had a reason to get in the water yet."
"Do you need a reason?" Suoh asked; knowing what Nokoru was planning.
"No, but I'd like to hear one." Akira replied.
"How about you and Suoh have a diving competition?" Nokoru asked.
"Kaichou-"Suoh was cut off by Akira agreeing and he knew he couldn't get out of it. He sighed and also agreed. There were two high dives and Suoh would use the left one while Akira would use the right one. They were trying to see who could make the least splash and also who could impress the most people.
Suoh and Akira took off their sandals and shirts before they each went onto their respective diving boards. Suoh went first and since he didn't really know what he was going to do, he just did multiple flips in a row before he dived and didn't make that big of a splash.
Akira wasn't sure what he would do either but he just decided to copy Suoh only with back flips and a little spin right before he entered the water. His splash was around the same size as Suoh's. Nokoru had a hard time deciding and everyone else had clapped the same amount so in the end; he just declared it a tie.
They all went and ate lunch at a nice little restaurant they had found. After that, they (Suoh and Akira while Nokoru watched and cheered) tried out some of the water sports there. They all relaxed on the beach after an early dinner and watched the sunset before they went to their rooms, showered, and went to sleep.
In the morning, they ate breakfast and planned out what they were going to do that day. "I want to try paragliding!" Nokoru said. He had watched it the day before and thought it sounded like fun.
Suoh smiled and decided to let his charge have some fun and he agreed. Nokoru cheered and right after breakfast, they all went. Nokoru found out that he wasn't that bad at it and they kept doing it until lunch time.
After they ate lunch, they swam and did many other beach activities like beach volleyball. When it was time for dinner, they dressed up nicely for the fancy restaurant but it was more of a casual yet fancy look. Nokoru wore pants and a nice blue shirt that matched his eyes.
Suoh also wore pants but instead of a blue shirt, he wore a white one. His and Nokoru's shirts were both a nice short-sleeved shirt. Akira also wore pants but unlike the other two, he wore a long-sleeved black button up shirt that was a nice material. He had the sleeves rolled up to above his elbows and he left the top few buttons undone so it was more comfortable. Since his hair was long, it took a while to dry after the shower but once it was, he put it up into a braid.
When they got to the restaurant and ordered, Nokoru decided it was time for Akira to answer the question that he always avoided. "Akira, will you please tell us why you grew your hair out and why you got highlights in it?" Nokoru asked, "And please don't say 'I wanted to'."
Suoh also looked at the younger boy and Akira just shrugged saying, "I felt like it." Nokoru and Suoh both fell anime style.
"That's not what I meant!" Nokoru said. "Isn't there some other reason?"
Akira thought about it and finally said, "I thought it would be fun."
"That's it?" Nokoru asked after a moment of silence. "There wasn't some secret reason like getting blue highlight to represent something? You only did it because you thought it would be fun?"
"That's the biggest reason, yes." Akira replied.
"So there is another reason?" Nokoru jumped on the chance to learn more about it.
"Yes." Akira said like it was no big deal.
When he didn't say anything more, Suoh asked, "What was that reason?"
Akira smiled and said, "So when my mother's wanted to pretend I was their daughter I wouldn't have to wear one of those itchy wigs again!" Suoh and Nokoru sweat dropped at the answer.
"…Your mothers…dressed you like a girl?" Nokoru asked slowly, wanted to make sure he heard right.
"More than once." Akira replied offhandedly. He didn't seem bothered by the fact at all. "They keep a big scrapbook just for those pictures and tell people they have a daughter who's never home but comes to visit a few times. That or they trick people by telling them they have a daughter instead of a son."
"…Why?" Nokoru asked.
Akira shrugged and said, "They got bored one day." Suoh and Nokoru fell anime style again.
"I'm starting to wonder how you turned out so well when your mothers have many…unique ideas." Nokoru said, "Many that involve you." Akira didn't seem to take any offence and just shrugged. They kept talking about random things until their food arrived.
"It's very good." Akira complemented.
"It is," Nokoru agreed, "But still not as good as yours."
Akira sighed and shook his head saying, "That's not fair to people if you keep comparing my cooking to theirs."
"He's right you know." Suoh said.
"I know, I know." Nokoru said. "It really is good though." The other two nodded their agreement. One lady suddenly screamed and everyone looked at her. She was pointing out the window and what everyone saw, made them scream as well or panic and start to run.
Outside and getting closer, it looked like a big piece of a boat that had been broken off or to others; like part of a crane that was used to lift things for construction work. Everyone crammed into the elevator and once it was at its limit, the doors shut and everyone went up. All the others ran to the stairs.
They were all almost up and only twenty people or so were left including Suoh, Nokoru and Akira when the thing hit and the glass cracked before little streams of water started coming in. After a few moments, the glass started breaking until water was gushing through and soaking everyone who was left.
As soon as the water filled the restaurant, the glass gave out and the whole top of it broke off. Everyone was holding their breath and swimming upwards; trying to get to the surface. Suoh and Akira each grabbed one of Nokoru's arms and pulled him up with them.
Once they got up, they found that rescue boats had come and were slowly helping people to get into them. Once they were all on the boat, one woman started sobbing and she cried out, "My husband is still down there!"
Suoh was trying to make Nokoru cough up all the water he had swallowed and knew at once when he looked at Akira that the younger boy was planning on going down to look. Suoh paused and held out a small throwing knife. Akira looked at him and he said, "Be careful."
Akira took it with a smile and dived off the end of the boat; ignoring the rescuers yelling at him to stop. Akira swam down and back into the restaurant through the giant hole in the roof. He looked around but the man was easy to spot as he was struggling with his foot caught under the big machine thing.
Akira swam over and saw that he was almost out of breath. He held the throwing knife in his mouth, wrapped his arms' around the man, braced his feet and pulled. When the man was almost free, he went down and grabbed the man's foot before pulling it out.
He pushed the man upwards and started to follow but found he wasn't going anywhere because once he had pulled the man's foot free, the thing had rolled over and was now on top of more than half his legs.
Akira struggled and thought, 'I'm almost out of air.' It was a scary thought but he pushed it to the back of his mind as he tried to get his legs free. He had dropped the throwing knife on accident but hardly noticed. He pulled and his legs slid a bit out but he froze when he saw a small cloud of red rising. He mentally cursed himself as he tried to find the cut and stop the bleeding.