Several weeks passed without a hitch and summer hit with full force. Rei found himself spending long hours with Nagisa in the water. The blond had never mention walking again and seemed to be entirely content in staying in the water with Rei all the time.
Their relationship wasn't discussed anymore either. Nagisa initiated nearly every display of affection. He knew Rei was shy and bashful when it came to things like that, and he told Rei he was more than happy to kiss him or hug him anytime. Lately, Rei had found himself thinking of Nagisa as his boyfriend on accident. After the thought his face would flush and he would have to make some excuse as to why he got all flustered when he was in public.
He couldn't deny how much he liked it when Nagisa's lips were pressed again his, when he was holding Nagisa's hand or when his arms were wrapped around the bubbly blonde. It made him feel calm and happy, and he didn't miss the way Nagisa's eyes would light up almost impossibly bright when they were together. It made something in his chest feel warm and whole.
"You should probably avoid the beach and the pier, Nagisa... Hey, Nagisa! Are you listening?" Nagisa's head surfaced from under the water and he gave Rei a small cheeky smile before he flipped his hair to the sides, shaking water from his blond curls.
"Nope!" he answered happily, flipping onto his back in the water, effectively spraying Rei, who had been drying off. Rei gave him a disgruntled look, toweling off the new water from his arms. The sky was nearly dark and Rei knew he had stayed too long if he wanted to get a lot of school work done, but, then again, spending time with Nagisa was more important.
"I said," he sighed, "I want you to try and stay away from the beach and the pier, alright?" He asked, his voice softening, "The summer brings out a lot more people around here, at both places." Nagisa nodded slowly, his smile fading a little to a solemn look.
"Okay, Rei-chan," he said, nodding determinedly, "I'll try my best for you, Rei-chan!" Rei smiled, which prompted Nagisa to grin again. Rei put his clothes back on over his swimsuit and crouched at the edge of the pool. Nagisa extended a wet hand in his direction and Rei took it, threading their fingers together. Nagisa gave him a soft smile and squeezed his hand before letting go and floating back a little ways in the water, waving happily as Rei left.
A soft sigh left Nagisa's throat as he lay on his back in the water, idly floating. Rei hadn't come to see him in a few days and he couldn't fight the lonely feeling gnawing at his heat. Rei had school, extended track practice and homework to boot, and Nagisa knew he couldn't blame Rei for that.
Sighing again, Nagisa plunged under the water and swam out into the ocean, his tail moving in powerful motions to propel him through the water.
He hadn't been hunting in a long time, not since he came to the area. The fishermen's boats always had nets full of fish that he could easily take from, and that staved off the guilt he felt when he had to kill anything. But not Rei had asked him to be careful, to stay away from the boats and the people at the beach. Nagisa understood his worries and easily agreed, but he didn't realize that it would be so difficult to adjust back.
"Rei-chan, will you bring me food?" Rei had only just walked into the cave a Thursday afternoon when the question was spring on him.
"Um... Sure? I-I guess," Rei responded, getting flustered at the abruptness of the question, "Why are you asking? Is something wrong?"
"No! No, nothing's wrong, Rei-chan!" Nagisa said hurriedly, "I promise. Nothing's wrong it's just... I don't," he paused, sighing softly his hands patting the water contemplatively, "I don't like catching my own food," he mumbled. Rei was quiet as he stripped off his tracksuit into his swimsuit and stepped into the water.
"I'm sorry," Rei said softly, shivering when the water lapped the skin of his abdomen, "I'm sorry if I haven't been here a lot lately with school any everything. Please, forgive me?" Nagisa blinked, looking slightly confused before he moved forward and looped his arms around Rei's waist, pulling him close.
"I'm not mad at you, Rei-chan," he said, "Okay? I could never be mad at you. It's not your fault you have so many obligations, Rei-chan. Don't say sorry when you've done nothing." Rei stared down at him for a few moments before he nodded and wrapped his arms around Nagisa too.
"I know. I know," he murmured, "I just feel a little guilty."
"Okay. Well, you can make it up to me if you feel guilty by bringing me food! Can you, please, Rei-chan?" Rei smiled and nodded, chuckling softly.
"Alright, yes. I can do that. Tomorrow, Friday, I'll bring you something."
"Yay!" Nagisa cheered, squeezing Rei into a tight hug, "Let's go swim now!"
Once again, Nagisa was out at night, his eyes scanning the darkened ocean. Waiting until the next afternoon for Rei to bring him food wasn't staving off his hunger one bit. He needed something, even if it was small.
Still scanning the water, his eyes focused on a decently sized fish swimming nearby. He swam towards it from the side, making sure to be even quieter than usual. Suddenly, the fish darted to the left and then to the right before it took off. Nagisa sped after it, water whipping through his hair. The fish rounded a rock and Nagisa went around the opposite side, knowing he could cut it off. There was no way some silly fish was faster than-
Something slammed into him hard. Actually, it was more like he crashed. Blinking to clear his head, Nagisa looked around. Silver meshing was surrounding him, enclosing him in a net. Panic shot through him as he stared around himself at the net. He felt his heart beat pick up and suddenly he felt scared, and small, and trapped.
He grabbed the mesh and shook it desperately, his eyes not staying on more than one place for more than a second in his panicked state. He backed up slightly before he swam forward as fast as he could with the confined space he was in and pushed against the net. He tried again, forcing his body against the webbing.
A peculiar feeling went through him and he gasped, air bubbling from his throat when he did. Electricity shot through him, transferred from the net into his body. He felt his back arching, his arms stiffening and clenching against the pulse. It felt like his entire body was burning from the inside, like every nerve was on fire and only getting worse.
Nagisa vaguely recognized the net catching him as he fell, his body lying on the bottom of it. His mind was fuzzy, his vision blurred and unfocused. His felt his eyelids dropping and he didn't try and stop them, welcoming the blackness that enveloped his mind.
"Nagisa? Sorry I'm really late. We had-" Rei stopped talking when he entered the cave to find it strangely empty, "Nagisa?" He called, looking around before he looked closer to the edge of the water. The blond wasn't there and the area was eerily quiet, accented only by the soft slapping of water on rock.
Was it because he was later than usual? Miyu had dragged him into an overzealous conversation about an excursion the biology class was going on to take water samples and catch animals in the ocean to track their movements. Because of that, he had been late to track practice and had to run extra laps. But he had a box of bento he made especially for Nagisa in his hands. He could still smell the amount of squid he had put into it, knowing Nagisa absolutely loved the fish.
Rei couldn't deny the hurt that went through him. Maybe he had made the blond mad at him. Sighing softly, he sat down onto the sand, setting the bento box in his lap. He'd wait all night if he had to.
Hours passed and the sky was nearly dark when Rei knew he had to get home. Maybe the thought he'd wait all night have been a bit of an overstatement. He quickly went into his bag and got out a piece of paper, scrawling down a note to the blond telling him that he'd been there and that the bento was for him. He smiled softly, sadly, and left the food with the paper, promising himself he'd be back the next day.
And he was. But Nagisa wasn't there. The box was untouched and so was the note. Rei felt a spark of worry go through him. Where could Nagisa be? Why would he leave a safe place for so long? Was he in trouble? Rei had warned him to stay away from populated areas. Rei contemplated the thoughts as he waited another few hours before knowing he'd best not wait all day. Making a mental apology to Nagisa, he left another note and took the bento box back. It would spoil if he left it too much longer.
That night, Rei didn't sleep well. His mind, clogged with increasing worry over Nagisa, plagued him with nightmares. Nagisa needed his help, and every time he reached for him he would lose him. The scene played constantly until Rei woke up, sweating and trembling. He didn't try and sleep again for another hour at least, the dream still present in his mind.
Nagisa forced his eyes open when he finally came too, blinking several times to clear the bubbles from his vision. It was daylight judging from the light filtering down through the water, but that was all he knew. From how hungry he was, it had been at least a day, maybe more. Groaning softly, Nagisa pushed himself up, wincing at the stiffness in his arms. He was still trapped, lying on the bottom of the net. Gingerly, he tested the material the net was made of. It wasn't like the regular fishermen's nets that were made of rope. Instead, the meshing was woven strands of metal.
A feeling of dread set in. Nagisa knew he could get through it, even if he tried cutting it. He knew he could grow sharp fins on his forearms, but he didn't have enough energy and with the material of the net it wouldn't be enough. In the end, he'd only wind up hurting himself.
Sighing softly, he laid back down in the net, the webbing digging into his shoulder blades uncomfortably. He let a few bubbles float from his mouth, watching them as they rose to the surface or popped against the net.
He felt like an idiot. Getting stuck in a net would make him a mockery if any of his kind new. What would his sisters think? Probably make fun as usual.
Nagisa's thoughts were cut short as the net jerked and started to rise from the water. Panic went through him again and he looked wildly side-to-side, watching the as the net rose. He thought quickly of some sort of plan, some sort of way to escape when he got to the deck of whatever boat had caught him. Forcing himself to calm down, he made his body go limp at the bottom of the net, feigning unconsciousness.
Eventually, the net broke the surface and Nagisa heard several gasps and shouts. He felt the warm wood of the deck of a boat as the net came down a little harder than what would've been comfortable. The wet metal of the net fell limply over him, covering his body. He resisted flinching, keeping his face serene and his breathing even.
"What is it?
"What should we do?"
"Is it alive even?"
"Can we cut the net? Are we allowed to?"
"Is it – he – real?"
Nagisa listened to the conversations going on around him and he heard someone coming closer and crouching besides him. Warm fingers pressed against his jugular and he snapped. No one had ever laid a finger on him besides Rei. He only liked it when Rei held him. If it wasn't Rei, he wouldn'tallow it.
His eyes shot open and his fist, still covered by the net, struck out, colliding with the cheek of the person who tried to check his pulse. The net easily split the skin on the guy's face and he let out a yelp of pain. Nagisa took it as an opportunity to try and get out.
He was still tangled in the net so he helplessly thrashed, wincing when the net snagged some of his scales. There were more people on the boat than he expected, and they certainly were not fishermen.
Nagisa felt scared again. Scared as they closed in around him. Scared as two of them held down his arms to cease his struggling while one of them activated the net again. He clamped his jaw shut to stop the cry that would've left his throat at the wave of electricity going through him again. He felt himself go limp. He felt the warm, dry hands still holding him in place and he hated it.
He found himself welcoming the darkness back in.
It was dark when Nagisa woke up, blinking and squinting for anything. He was back in the water. That was a good sign until he tasted the liquid.
It tasted fake. He felt his heart drop when he realized that it wasn't the ocean though it was seawater. Curious, he swam forward a few meters only to collide with an invisible wall. Stretching out an arm, he pressed his hand against something solid and immoveable. He turned, swimming in the opposite direction only to crash again. He reached out again only to feel the cool glass walls around him again.
The feeling of panic was starting to become hated in Nagisa's mind, but he couldn't help it. He curled his fingers into a fist and slammed the side of his fist against the glass. He repeated the action, beating desperately again the glass, trying to get out.
I'm trapped. No, no, this... can't happen, he thought frantically.
He stopped pounding on the glass when the lights in the room came on. He turned and his eyes widened in fear.
He was in a large, glass tank, that had already registered, but standing around the room in white coats were people, staring at him. Some looked astonished, mesmerized, but some looked scared.
Nagisa was scared.
He registered the cool surface of the glass on his back as he moved as far away as he could from their stares, his coral orbs moving from place to place wildly in the room.
Hearing a splash, he jerked his head up. A human dressed in a tight black suit, yellow tanks on his back and a mask over his face, was coming towards him in the water. Nagisa had seen the tanks before. They helped humans breathe underwater. He narrowed his eyes as the diver came closer, close enough to reach out and touch if he tried.
He wouldn't let them touch him again. Not again. Darting out under the diver's feet, Nagisa came up behind him and slated the man against the glass wall, holding him there as his other hand searched blindly around the gear for the tube connected to the diver's mask. The man was struggling, but Nagisa had more than enough strength to hold him in place with one hand.
Got it.
His hand tightened around the tube connected to the yellow tanks and he yanked roughly, pulling the tube free. Oxygen rushed from the tube, creating a frenzy of bubbles floating for the surface. The man panicked even more. Nagisa easily released him and he shot for the surface.
Watching with narrowed eyes, Nagisa made sure the man was out of the water before he allowed himself to sink to the bottom, making his body as small as possible against a wall of the tank.
He felt his eyes burning as he buried his face in his arms. He couldn't cry; the tears would only get lost in the salt water surrounding him, but the stinging in his eyes made it known to him.
I want to go home.
I want to go be with Rei-chan.
The thoughts only made him feel worse. They made something in his chest hurt painfully and he resisted letting out a sob into the water. He had failed Rei. Rei had told him to stay away and be careful. He felt so stupid and he cursed himself mentally for it.
He couldn't let himself sleep; they might try to do something to him. But he did let his mind slip into a state of half-sleep. It was better than being awake.
It was Monday. Rei had school. He couldn't care less.
He had gone to see if Nagisa had showed up on Sunday and even Monday morning too, but the blond hadn't been there and the cave made no signs that he had been there for days.
Through the worry, Rei couldn't help but to think that Nagisa had moved on. All of Rei's attention wasn't on him anymore because of university activities, so had the blond gotten bored? Had Nagisa gone to find a new best friend?
No, there was no way Nagisa would do that. There was no way that the looks of pure adoration that Rei got from him were fake, or something someone could just give up in a weekend.
That only left worry in Rei's mind.
"Oi! Ryugazaki-kun! Are you even listening?" Rei's head snapped up and looked to his left when Miyu was staring at him with an indignant look on her face. That's right, she had been telling him something and he had spaced out. He'd been completely vacant all day. He had absorbed no schoolwork whatsoever.
"No, I'm sorry," he sighed, adjusting his glasses before he looked back at the textbook on the desk in front of him, "What are we talking about?"
"Watanabe-sensei is talking about their findings!" Miyu said excitedly, "Apparently they found something that's never been known to man, Ryugazaki-kun! Isn't that amazing! Then again, Watanabe-sensei always tends to over exaggerate. They probably found another mutated fish or something," she giggled, "But anyway, he said we can all fill out waivers or something and get into the lab to see, even though I already have that access, but you should really do it!" She looked a Rei was expectantly brown eyes and he let out a sigh, nodding.
"Fine, I'll do it," he gave in. Miyu grinned widely and made an attempt to hug him, which he avoided at all costs.
It would only remind him more of Nagisa.
The process of filling out forms was a nuisance. Basically, every paper said the same thing in some sort of different wording. They weren't allowed to talk about what they saw in the labs without prior acquiescence and they weren't allowed to interfere with whatever research was happening.
Rei registered Miyu's excited yammering next to him as they walked a ways across campus with the rest of the group and Watanabe to the biology labs. He wasn't really listening. He hadn't been listening in school all day. For once, school wasn't his biggest priority.
"Quickly, quickly! Everyone file in please!" Watanabe instructed, holding the large steel door of the lab open for the students to all shuffle in.
Rei squinted around. The lab was dark and cold. Rei shivered slightly, rubbing at his arm slightly as he felt goose bumps rise on his skin.
"Isn't this exciting, Ryugazaki-kun?" Miyu asked next to him in a hushed whisper. Rei opened his mouth to answer her but as he did the lights came on, flooding the room in a dim white glow.
Everything made sense when the lights came on and Rei felt as if he had been drenched in cold water. His eyes focused on the tank in the middle of the wide room, widening in shock.
Nagisa saw him too, his dull, coral eyes finding Rei's as he swam forward. He reached out only to have his hand slap glass. Anger bubbled through him. Anger that Rei was right there, standing in the same room, and he couldn't reach him. He swam back before he forced his body forward, slamming into the side of the tank.
Rei's eyes widened when the tank gave a visible shudder at the force Nagisa applied against it. The blond stared at him, his eyes desperate, through the glass, pounding on it with his fists.
"Out! Out! Everybody out now!" Watanabe's voiced yelled over the commotion among the students at the sight of the panicking sea creature. Rei frantically looked over his shoulder as Miyu pulled him from the room only to see Nagisa still pounding on the glass.
Notes: Idk I don't really like this chapter...? I'm at a bit of a loss here to be honest. I think this could come to an end quickly or I could draw it out for another three or four chapters. I don't know. I need inspiration or something or ideas. Well, I hope you enjoyed anyway! Comments are always appreciated! Stay tuned~
