Chapter 2

This chapter is where it starts to slowly get more and more AU. You have been warned.


The paramedics helped Akari take Hikari to her home. Thankfully, Itaru had stayed home with Akira and had already put him to bed by the time they arrived. Akari felt bad that she hadn't had a chance to call and warn him about what was going on, but after his initial shock, he'd quickly and graciously adapted, helping to move boxes and lay out a futon in the spare room. He even went to go make some tea for everyone, letting Akari stay by her brother's side. She really did love that man. Miuna was equally as helpful, finding warm blankets and making sure her little brother stayed asleep and out of the way. Tsumugu declined to come with them, heading home instead to inform Chisaki of Hikari's return.

Professor Mihashi arrived with the doctor, having graciously agreed to go and fetch him while they went directly to the house. The old, wise doctor's calm and through examination did a lot to put Akari's mind at ease. He was someone the entire community had trusted for years and very experienced with the sea people. Hikari was noticeably tired, but cooperative throughout the entire ordeal. He quickly fell asleep as soon as they had finished. Akari, Itaru, Professor Mihashi and the Doctor quietly moved outside to discuss the results of the exam so as not to disturb the sleeping occupants of the house.

"Well, as you know, this is an entirely new situation for all of us," the doctor started. "Hikari appears largely unchanged from five years ago, and quite healthy, as far as I can tell. Because of that, I can't tell you if the bruises and scrapes are from the day of the Ofunehiki or from whatever force washed him up onto the beach, but in any case, they are minor and shouldn't trouble him for long." Akari nodded, having noted them herself and agreed with the doctor's opinion.

"As for his ena – I've never seen ena so thick. It was thickening five years ago in preparation for the hibernation, is that correct?" the doctor asked, looking at Akari.

"Yes," she replied. "They were instructed to abstain from eating and Hikari couldn't stay out of the salt water as long as before."

"That makes sense then. It seems his ena continued to thicken with the hibernation. So the first, and most important thing you should do is watch it carefully and be sure to keep it hydrated with salt water. Pat his skin down every two hours and make him soak in a salt water bath every four hours to start. But keep an eye on him, if his ena starts to dry or he has trouble breathing, don't be afraid to increase the frequency," the doctor cautioned.

"Will his ena stay like that? Is it safe for him to remain on the surface?" Akari asked, concerned.

The doctor and Professor Mihashi looked at each other. "Well," the professor spoke up. "Our theory is now that he is no longer hibernating, it should slowly return to its previous thickness."

The doctor nodded in agreement. "We think, over time, you'll be able to reduce how frequently his skin needs the salt water and it will naturally decrease. Let Hikari set the pace for that. If you have any problems, you can always call or bring him in for another look."

"He's also a bit underweight and dehydrated," the doctor continued. "It's not drastic, but something to be aware of. Make sure he stays hydrated, have him drink a little water every hour. Don't overdo it. We don't want to overwhelm his system. The same goes for food. Light broth, a little, healthy food frequently to start. No big meals. Just a little food multiple times a day. Ease him back into a regular diet."

Akari nodded. She'd known the minute she saw Hikari she'd need to take some time off from work. While Miuna and Itaru would help, he'd need consistent care under her direction, at least at first.

"Other than that, I wouldn't be surprised if he's more tired than usual. Let him rest, don't let him push himself too much. And be patient with him. A lot has changed in what seems like no time at all for him. He may be moodier than usual. Just be supportive and if you have any worries, don't hesitate to bring him in."

"Thank you, doctor. You've been such a help," Itaru said, Akari nodding alongside him.

"Of course. The brain surgeon should be back tomorrow, you should have him stop by and take a look as well."

"Ah, if that's the case, could I come with him as well? There are some questions I'd like to ask Hikari -" the professor chimed in.

"If you wouldn't mind," Akari interrupted. "Can we hold off on additional tests for now? I just – I think it may be too much. Hikari has a lot to catch up on. I don't want to overwhelm him." She was a bit worried. Professor Mihashi was a kind man, but his curiosity could make him a bit driven. She really didn't want to overwhelm Hikari, but she also didn't want him to become a spectacle, an object of scientific study.

The professor and doctor both nodded and smiled. "Of course," the doctor said, climbing into the car followed by Professor Mihashi. "Call at any time if you have any concerns."

Akari and Itaru both nodded and watched as they drove off. With their arms around each other, they turned to go inside.


Tsumugu wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting to happen or how Chisaki would react to the news of Hikari's return. When he told her, she'd stepped back in obvious surprise and shock, but she didn't cry. Didn't say anything. Eventually, he'd just lead her back inside and they both settled down with some late night tea, thinking.

Over the last five years, they'd done a lot of this together. Just sitting quietly and thinking. It wasn't awkward, or uncomfortable. Quite the opposite. They were used to each other's presence, content to share space in quiet contemplation. Tsumugu figured she'd ask questions when she was ready.

And after five minutes or so, she was. Quietly asking if Hikari was okay, how they'd found him, where he was now. Tsumugu answered as best he could, with as little information as he really had. They both decided to stay up and wait for Professor Mihashi to return and see what news he brought with him.

"It's strange," Chisaki said. "At first, I wanted nothing more for them to return. For Hikari to just be back. But now…" She paused. Tsumugu just sat, sipping his tea, waiting for her. "It's not that I'm not happy he's back. I am, I'm so happy. I just – I don't know what to do. There's just too much."

Tsumugu nodded in understanding, knowing what she meant. Too much time, life that had happened, changes that had been lived. As much as their lives had seemed on hold after they had disappeared, the truth was, things went on. Feelings had changed. And Chisaki, now knowing Hikari had returned unchanged, was afraid to fully acknowledge that fact.

The professor returned with a sigh and stretch, kicking off his shoes, hanging his jacket up, and coming to join them. Chisaki, ready as always, poured another warm cup of tea for him.

"How's Hikari?" Tsumugu asked, knowing Chisaki was desperate to know but still too shaky to ask herself.

The professor smiled warmly at both of them, his hand wrapped around the warm cup. "He'll be alright. They'll have to keep his skin moist and more hydrated than normal at first and ease him back in a regular diet and activities, but it looks like he'll be just fine," he reassured.

"Thank you," Chiska breathed. "I'm so glad." And finally, her eyes watered a little, in joy and relief. Tsumugu nodded his thanks as well.

"Tsumugu," the professor started. "I hate to ask, I know it's late. But would you be willing to sit down with me and explain, in detail, what you observed tonight? I wasn't able to ask Hikari much yet, and I want your thoughts while it's still fresh and before any details are lost. This is an important development in our research."

"Of course," Tsumugu nodded and rose to retrieve his notebooks and things. Chisaki rose as well.

"I'm going to leave you both to it," she said, gathering up the extra dishes.

"Goodnight," Tsumugu said softly.

"Thank you," the professor responded, as he organized all of his things.


It was after 2:00 in the morning by the time the professor and Tsumugu finished recording and discussing the details of the night's events. They'd wait until tomorrow to really try and make sense of their findings, but at least now they had it all recorded and written down.

"What's next?" Tsumugu asked. "Do we tell the University?" As the night went on, the more they talked, the more Tsumugu began to worry about this, about what Hikari's return would mean in the scientific community. It'd be one thing if everyone in Shishishio had awoken, if all the sea villages had emerged from their hidden hibernation. But that wasn't true. Or at least, he didn't think it was.

"No," the professor said, looking thoughtful. "We don't know enough yet. Is it just Hikari? Are there others awake down there, can we get into Shishishio now? There are too many questions. It's too soon. And," here he paused, looking more concerned. "I don't want to bring all that attention down on Hikari, not yet. We'll have to tell at least the University soon, but for right now, I think it's better if we keep this quiet."

Tsumugu nodded, relieved. Maybe in a few days, they'd know more. More people from the sea might awaken, people in other villages. He hoped, in a few days, Hikari wouldn't be the one and only.


The first thing Hikari noticed was how stiff and sore he felt. Eyes still closed, he stretched under the blankets. Slowly, he groggily pulled open his eyes and looked around the room. For a minute, he was confused. Where was he? This wasn't his room… but then he remembered. Akari, Tsmugu, Miuna, the beach. He'd woken up, he'd hibernated? And he was at Akari's new house.

Hikari sat up, slowly rubbing at his eyes, trying to get his thoughts in order. He remembered now, he woke up on the beach. Five years had passed. He had fuzzy memories of the doctor looking him over here at Akari's house, and even hazier memories of Akari waking him up in the night, patting him down with water. And maybe even a trip to the bathroom? Did Akari bathe him? Well, that was embarrassing.

Hikari shook his head, and stubbornly opened his eyes to take in the room. It was nice – some extra boxes seemed hurriedly piled in the corner, but it was good sized room, the futon was nice, and Akari must have found some pajamas for him somewhere. In the distance, he could hear Akari humming something, puttering around in the kitchen. He could smell something too – was that miso? His stomach rumbled.

Well, there was nothing for it. He'd have to get up sometime. With one last stretch, he stood up and stepped towards the door. He had to pause a minute, leaning a hand on the wall while his vision cleared, just a bit dizzy from getting up. But it went away quickly and he made his way down the hall towards the smells and sounds of the kitchen.

When he got there though, he stopped walking in shock. Who was…? There was a little, dark haired boy pulling on Akari's pant leg. Hikari sucked in a breath, catching the little boy's attention.

"Momma, momma, momma!" He called, pulling more urgently on the pant leg and jumping up and down a bit.

"Akira, what?" Akari looked down at the little boy, then followed his pointing finger over to Hikari, still frozen in the doorway.

"Oh! Hikari! You're awake," she said, stepping away from the stove and wiping her hands on the towel. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Hikari replied slowly taking a few steps more into the kitchen, his gaze darting once again to the little boy.

"Oh, of course. Things were so crazy yesterday and you didn't get a chance to meet yet." Akari pulled the little boy to stand in front of her as she crouch down, hands on his shoulders. "This is Akira, my son. Akira," she said, sweeping a hand towards Hikari, "this is my brother, Hikari."

"Hi," Akira murmured shyly.

All at once Hikari smiled. The boy was cute, and Akari looked so happy. It's just what he'd wanted for his sister. He walked over, crouched down in front of Akira, smiling widely. "Nice to meet you." Hikari tapped his nose with a finger. "How old are you?"

"I'm this many!" The boy held up four fingers.

Akari laughed, and stood. "Not quite yet, you aren't!" She ruffled her son's hair playfully and then turned back to the pot on stove. "Hikari, if you want, you can take a seat at the table. I've got some soup here for you and some tea."

"Mmm…thanks." Hikari nodded, and went to go sit. Akira wavered, first staying glued to his mom's leg, but peeking out every so often toward the table and Hikari. Eventually, it seemed he got tired of being shy and bounced over to Hikari's side.

"How old are you?" He asked, leaning towards Hikari's face, studying him.

"How old do you think I am?" Hikari countered, eyebrow raised. The little boys face furrowed thoughtfully.

"This many." He held up all ten fingers. Hikari laughed. Akira was too cute.

"I'm 14, actually," Hikari replied initially without thinking, but his smile slowly faded. Was that really true? Sure, he was 14 prior to the hibernation, but 5 years had passed. So was he 19 or 14? Did years he didn't remember, didn't grow count? Before he could dwell on it too much, Akari came over with the food, interrupting his thoughts.

"Here we are," she said, setting everything down on the table and taking a seat herself. "Akira, come sit by me and let your uncle eat in peace."

Uncle, huh? That would take some getting used to, but so would a lot of things. So far, Hikari liked it.