Episodes 32-34: Nadia's Fears

A Nadia: Secret of Blue Water Fanfic by Jon Turner

Disclaimer: Nadia: The Secret of Blue Waterem is the property of Toho/SogoVision/NHK, and ADV Films. I am responsible simply for this story.

A word of note about this fanfic: This is set just after the Gratan escapes the Garfish at the beginning of Episode 32 in the series. The remainder of this story is meant to replace the African and music video episodes (32-34), as they were completely out of tone and character in the same way that the Lincoln Island episodes were. I previously did an attempt on it, but looking back on it, I'm not too proud of it. I was kinda messed up when I wrote that. Now that I'm older, I wanted to do a new and improved version of it, making this shorter as well.

Nadia and the others sighed in relief. The Gratan was airborne, headed for the African continent. Better yet, the companions had escaped from their former island home just before it sank into the sea. It wasn't even an island at all; it was, rather, a submerged satellite called Red Noah. Just as they had left, a Garfish had been seen crossing through the water below. But now it had vanished. Nobody could say why. Hanson speculated that it was merely following Red Noah. Whatever the reason, they were glad to be out of danger... for now.

Just at that moment, however, Nadia froze and fell into a trance. Jean shuddered-this was just like what had happened when he and Nadia were exploring the strange high-tech factory beneath Red Noah.

Seconds later, the Blue Water began to shimmer, and then emit a beam of aqua-colored light. It was pinpointing a direction to the east through the sky. Then, Nadia spoke in an emotionless monotone. "Follow the light of the Blue Water. It will guide you across the Indian Ocean to the mountains of Central Africa. There you shall find my homeland, the long lost kingdom of Tartessos."

Jean and the others stared at Nadia, stunned. They didn't know that the mysterious entity aboard Red Noah who captured Nadia was controlling her mind, if only for a brief moment, to lead them to their destination.

"Nadia, what are you saying?!" Jean asked.

"Just follow the light of the Blue Water," Nadia replied, in the same emotionless voice.

Jean couldn't understand why Nadia was telling them all this, but somehow he knew that it was important. "You heard her!" he shouted to Grandis, Sanson, and Hanson.

The trio raced toward the Gratan cockpit. Grabbing the steering wheel, Sanson turned the tank's position to the right until the vessel was in perfect alignment with the beam from Nadia's Blue Water. Switching to auto-pilot, Hanson checked their coordinates "If we continue on this route, we should hit the African mountains in less than three days!"

All at once, Nadia's eyes turned normal, and she relaxed. She seemed to be herself again.

"Nadia, are you okay?" Jean asked.

Nadia looked into Jean's eyes. She could see that he was startled by what had just happened. For a moment, though, she felt a pang of doubt. She had learned so much more than she could have expected from Red Noah, so much more than she wanted to be burdened with. Not only was she an Atlantean, she was the princess of the very enemy they were trying to defeat! A Neo-Atlantean princess! How could she explain something like that to him? How? And if she did, how would he react? Would he abandon her? Betray her?

She had grown to love Jean more and more lately. Initially she had thought he couldn't be trusted until he first rescued her from Grandis so long ago. Since then she had slowly bonded with him and, while she couldn't admit it to herself, she had indeed fallen in love with him — but for some reason, she never found the courage to tell him. It was something she herself didn't know how to identify. But Jean had been so loyal, so patient, so gentle that it brought out a special warmth of trust and faith in her she never thought she had. Her only friends until then, were animals. At times she had said harsh words to him in bursts of anger — words that she regretted saying the moment they left her lips. But only because she could not adequately express what she was truly feeling. And yet, through it all, Jean had always been very forgiving and patient. She had even told him all about her childhood at the circus, the day she lost her dearest animal friends Momo the elephant and Smokey the goat... all when they were back on Lincoln Island. He listened. And understood. In response, he had given her something she could eat — seaweed dumplings. If it weren't for Jean, she would have...

"Nadia?"

Nadia looked up at Jean. "Huh? What's wrong? What happened?"

"We're going to Tartessos. You said we have to follow the Blue Water's light to get there."

"Oh," Nadia sighed. "I see." She looked melancholy.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't explain now. Maybe I can later," answered Nadia.

Over the next two days the Gratan followed the trail of Nadia's Blue Water across the Indian Ocean. It was a peaceful, uneventful journey, one of calmness and serenity. Finally, on the third day, the Gratan reached the African continent. Marie and King looked down joyfully from the Gratan's port deck, observing the beautiful sights below them. The trees were lavish and beautiful. Animals were everywhere: giraffes grazing on bushes, elephants frolicking in a pond, lions resting, gazelles loping... and the sun in the blue sky cast a perfect light on the scenery. It was just as fascinating a view as had been told. Jean, Sanson, and Hanson took turns observing the windspeed and their location. They had to make sure that they were going the right way.

But there was one person who wasn't particularly happy about traveling over Africa. Someone who was still gravely troubled by what was awaiting her.

Nadia hadn't spoken to anyone about the incident aboard Red Noah. Not even Jean. She didn't want to. It was too hard for her to tell them. If she did, then everyone would abandon her, and she didn't want that at all. In earlier times Nadia wouldn't have cared, after all she had convinced herself no one could be trusted. But this time was different. These were people who she personally had grown to care for. And she didn't want to burden them with her troubles anymore than she already had.

Nonetheless, Jean was very concerned about her. So were Marie, Grandis, and Hanson. Even Sanson, who considered himself an expert on handling women, didn't know what to think. Ayerton figured that she was sick or something. But Jean knew her too well. Whenever something troubled her, Nadia would keep quiet about it. Too quiet, to the point where she would work herself into a frenzy and lash out. He had seen it happen before. And he had borne the brunt of her occasional rages. But Jean had slowly taught Nadia to move beyond such behavior. It was a far more healthier way than expecting him to read her mind all the time... especially during some of their days on the Nautilus.

Jean remembered too well how Nadia had been jealous of his friendship with the First Officer Electra. He had only seen her as a mother figure, a teacher; someone he could learn from to benefit mankind and help others. But Nadia, thanks to a little goading from Grandis, irrationally (and mistakently) believed the First Officer was taking Jean away from her. He had tried to pacify the situation by giving Nadia a compliment, just as Electra had advised, but she had been too angry to truly appreciate it. (He had also come across as awkward about it.) Even so, he never understood why Nadia reacted the way she did... that is, until she finally spoke with him about her concerns long after the fact on Lincoln Island. That moment began a new transformation in Nadia. After admitting her deepest problems, Nadia learned how to express herself without getting angry. In return, she found out that there was no way Jean was going to abandon her no matter what. He had promised to take her to her birthplace, and he would do anything to make that wish come true.

Over the course of those three weeks on Lincoln Island, Nadia had found herself growing even closer to Jean than before. In fact, they had even shared a kiss while looking at the stars one night — their first kiss ever. Since then both had shrugged it off and tried not to talk about it because circumstances had quickly snowballed after that; a typhoon wrecking their camp, reuniting with their friends... all of which kept both busy from exploring this new development in their relationship. They still got along well, though; and she had admitted Jean was more important to her than the Blue Water (quietly), and even hugged him, not even caring she didn't have any clothes on.

Despite making improvements in expressing her desires to Jean, over the last two days as they were passing over Africa, Nadia had been keeping her distance again. She hadn't been this tight-lipped in a long time. And that made Jean very concerned about her. He wished there was something he could do for her, but what? Of course, she was polite to him the few times they passed on the Gratan, but there was a certain distance between them again. It was almost as if she didn't know how to disclose this newest revelation to him. Particularly, whether he would still care for her or not.

It was the night of the third day over Africa. Clouds billowed below the Gratan as it travelled through the night sky. Nadia stood alone on the port deck, leaning on the railing. She was thinking, and contemplating. She still hadn't said anything to anyone. As she gazed listlessly at the sky, she heard a familiar voice.

"Nadia?"

Jean stepped onto the railing. He looked very concerned. Grandis, Sanson, and Marie had both encouraged him to check on her. Despite some hesitation, he decided to do so. He hadn't spoken with her all that much since he rescued her from Red Noah, for he had respected that she needed her space. But now he felt he had to find out what was wrong. How would Nadia respond to him?

Jean soon would have his answer. Nadia turned to gaze at him. She smiled softly, then sadly looked away.

"Can't you sleep?" asked Jean, strolling toward her. Nadia didn't seem to mind. But still she kept her eyes on the clouds.

Jean wasn't sure what to say to her. "It won't be long until we get to Tartessos," he said.

"I know." Nadia replied.

Jean gazed at Nadia. Her eyes still looked very distant. "You don't seem pleased about finding your birthplace."

"It's not that at all, Jean," Nadia lied.

"I wish I could have taken you there in my own invention," said Jean.

"It doesn't matter," Nadia answered. "We're going there because you fixed the Gratan. Thank you for that. Thank you."

After a pause, Jean decided that maybe... maybe now was a good time to ask her what was troubling her. "You're very welcome, of course," he began, "But Nadia... what happened on the other side of that wall?"

Nadia gasped. She was startled that Jean had asked that question. She looked away, not saying anything.

"Nadia?"

"Sorry, Jean," replied Nadia after awhile. "I just can't tell you right now."

"Why?"

"Well, because, I..." Nadia started to explain, but then she stopped. She just couldn't say anything. "I just don't feel like it now. Please, just go."

Jean sighed sadly. I guess there's no point, he thought. He had a feeling that Nadia wanted to be left alone. So he slowly started to walk away.

At that instant, Nadia felt a stab of regret. She realized that all this worrying about her predicament was making her lonely. In fact, she missed Jean! She wanted his company, and she was just missing out on an opportunity for it. Well, she didn't want to lose on it again. Jean had changed her so much. True, she hadn't really told him how she felt, but maybe... just maybe, she could.

"Wait, Jean!" Nadia called.

Jean stopped and turned around in surprise. Nadia stepped closer to him. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She couldn't say how she felt. It was too hard. But she could at least show him how much he meant to her. Grandis had once told her when they were on Red Noah that sometimes actions speak louder than words when it comes to expressing yourself. Without saying another word, Nadia tilted her head closer to Jean's.

He felt a strange flutter in his stomach. Was she going to do what he thought she was going to do? Then in the next instant, he felt Nadia's lips upon his. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Jean hesitated, then returned the kiss, gradually placing his arms around her bare waist. This was just like what had happened between them on Lincoln Island when they were under the stars. But this time they would not be interrupted by the loud clap of thunder, or have to rush back to camp. This was truly a breakthrough moment. They weren't just friends anymore. They were more than that. They were in love.

Finally, their lips parted. Jean's face was still beat red. Nadia was smiling at him softly. She rested her head against his shoulders, hugging him, as if she never wanted to let go... just like when they embraced when he came to rescue her at Red Noah.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Jean blinked twice. Had Nadia just admitted that to him? She had spoken so softly he could barely hear her. But it touched him very, very deeply to hear that. For so much of their adventure, he had been the one who was doing all the caring, everything to ensure Nadia's happiness... whether she responded positively to it or not. He, too, had yet to admit how he felt about her, but he felt that it was better to not embarrass her instead. But now he felt strangely comfortable. Even more so than before. They had been through a whole lot together, but they had formed a very special bond. One that would never be broken.

For a long time, Nadia and Jean gazed out at the cloudy sky. Then they retired to their beds.

As Nadia drifted off to sleep, she felt a huge weight lift from her. It felt very nice to know she had finally expressed her feelings for Jean in her own way. It was something she herself had secretly wanted to do for a long time ever since he had touched her heart. Simultaneously, however, she still had that strong fear of what might happen when they arrived at Tartessos. He would probably find out either way. How he would take it remained to be seen. But either way, it felt gratifying for Nadia to acknowledge her feelings for the boy she had grown to care for so much. And she had done it in her own way.

At this point, the story just continues onto Episode 35.

-Jon T.