Into the Light- New Connections

"Well... it would be difficult to you- it is a big change for you after all… Hmm- maybe starting off in the city wasn't such a good idea, perhaps you could stay in the country for a lil bit. Get used to living on the Surface there."

As our main character struggles to get used to his new life in the Promised Land, help comes in the form of a familiar face and the prospect of a change of scenery for a while. But is there more to this offer than meets the eye?

Chapter 1, Part 1

You hadn't been in Inkopolis for long, but you found it rather difficult to get adjusted to life on the Surface. Things were very different to back home, and you didn't really go outside- even if Tsuyo asked you to. You knew she meant well, and she clearly wanted to show you around the city- but you didn't feel ready to deal with large amounts of people yet.

You had started to become unwell not long after you arrived to the Promised Land, and at your psychological evaluation- you were diagnosed with a form of depression and anxiety as the result of the trauma you faced in the Metro. You were being visited in the house by a therapist, and had been given multiple prescriptions of medication to try at the advice of your doctors.

You had felt like a bit of a lab rat with all of the medication you were given, but you knew that it was probably for the best- and that one day you would only have to take one or two prescriptions of medication instead of the assortment that you were given.

Even after your 2 weeks of quarantine, you spent most of your days at home- distracting yourself with work; chores; or other things. You often found yourself staying up as late as you physically could, in order to avoid the nightmares that often plagued you in the days following your departure from the Metro, even

It was the first week of June, and you still hadn't left the apartment.

Maru had become worried about you and decided to take you out of the house for the day, a change in your environment was often unwelcome- but since it was to deal with his Agent work, you decided that it couldn't be that bad and reluctantly went along.

You were taken somewhere unfamiliar to you, and although you weren't quite sure where you were- you made an educated guess and assumed that you were in the mountains. Maru had dropped you off with Cap'n Cuttlefish whilst he had dealt with something. "These mountains, they remind me of home… Octo Valley… I miss home…"

'So- how are you adjusting to the Surface my boy?' As chipper as ever, Cap'n Cuttlefish asked you how you were and you snapped out of your thoughts and answered him- taking a glass of orange juice from him. 'I'm Ok- I suppose...' You looked away from him and out to the mountains, the cool summer breeze cooling you down from the warm afternoon sun.

'You suppose?' He asked, giving you a puzzled look as he took a sip of his orange juice. 'I could be doing better, I haven't been sleeping that well- and I don't think I'm ready to interact with huge crowds just yet...' You confessed, but being as patient as ever- he comforted you. 'I can understand that- you've been through so much after all, and you must've been awfully lonely for a while- but you aren't alone anymore. You won't go through this alone- they'll make sure of it.'

'But...' You appreciated his kind words, but were still bothered by something within you- telling you otherwise. 'But what?' He seemed to notice your hesitation, and seemed saddened when you told him this. 'Don't get me wrong, I do certainly appreciate everything they've done for me and Akatsuki so far... But- I can't seem to attach myself to them, like I can't exactly seem to form a bond with them...'

He paused for quite some time, before giving a suggestion. 'Well... it would be difficult to you- it is a big change for you after all… Hmm- maybe starting off in the city wasn't such a good idea, perhaps you could stay in the country for a lil bit. Get used to living on the Surface there.' Something about it sparked your interest and you asked about it as curious as the cat of legend. 'The country, what's the country like- I know I've asked you about it before, but I suppose I need a bit of a refresher…'

His eyes lit up with joy, and he went on a happy ramble about it. 'Oh- well, it's simply lovely my boy! Very fresh and good for you. They'd have food closer to the palate you were brought up on- I think you'd like it. Have you ever had grilled eel?' You hesitantly answered him as you looked back and forth from him and the horizon, trying to not dwell on your thoughts for too long. 'No, I don't think so...' 'Well it's simply wonderful, perhaps you should think it over.'

You decided to ask him about one of the biggest concerns you had on your mind, and see his reaction. 'Wait- what about my studies? Should I not consider them?' His reaction was a mixture of surprise and mild tiredness, he sighed and told you honestly. 'Well yes- but everyone needs a break from those. And you've long since earned a break laddie… Well I have an idea- hear me out on it, now you don't have to say yes to it- you can always say no. Just- hear me out.'

You looked towards him, and put your untouched drink down to be able to focus more. 'Ok I'm listening.' He then suggested something to you that sounded nicer as he went on. 'How about this, you spend a week or two in the country. Up in the cabin with me and the girls, then you could maybe try and get out for a bit. They have church services on in the morning, and shows at night- traditional theatre and music. They even have a market once a week- very small.'

The thought of it sounded appealing to you, and all you were able to say in response was a quiet. 'It sounds- nice...' He laughed a bit and asked you with a kind smile. 'Well? Will you at least consider it?' You picked up your glass of orange juice again and answered him, before going to take a small sip of it. 'Sure- I'll think it over...'

You coughed a bit after drinking the juice, taken aback by the taste of it. 'It's so sweet! What is it made of?' He then explained what he did earlier on that day before coming to the location you were currently at and how he had got it ready for you and Maru coming.

Speaking of Maru, you could hear his footsteps pounding against the concrete in the distance and he seemed quite happy to see you talking to Cap'n Cuttlefish. He slowed down his pace and walked over to the two of you and greeted you warmly. 'Hey kid! How've you been?' His energy was unusually high, and he downed the glass of juice he was given by Cap'n Cuttlefish as quickly as he was given it.

His high energy had made you somewhat uncomfortable, and you responded with a quiet, 'Fine...' He then laughed a bit and joked with you about Cap'n Cuttlefish's talkative nature. 'I hope the Cap'n hasn't been talking your ear off, he could honestly talk for all of Inkopolis!' Whilst you found the joke somewhat amusing, given the fact that he did have the tendency to talk during the tests- Cap'n Cuttlefish didn't find it as amusing and scolded him lightly, before sighing and explaining to him what the two of you were talking about a few moments prior.

'Now now- we were just having a discussion, I thought I might suggest to him that he go away for a little bit. The city might be a bit much for him at first, it might be wiser to get him used to a smaller setting first then work his way up.'Maru's energy had started to calm down and he was returning back to his normal self, but he seemed rather interested in what you were bath talking about and asked with genuine curiosity. 'Really- that's sounds quite nice. But who's staying with him?'

Cap'n Cuttlefish then explained it to him and something seemed to bother him by the way his eyes changed from looking happy to his normal blank look. 'Well, the girls and I were thinking of staying there for a week or so- we're going to be leaving in a few days. Thought that I might as well suggest it to the lad.'

Maru brought up his concerns, and seemed to be a bit worried about it. 'Callie would be fine with him- but what about Marie?'Cap'n Cuttlefish just laughed away his worries, and told him in an amused tone. Oh for cod's sake, you're a hybrid for crying out loud! What difference is it going to make if he comes along?!' Maru sighed, knowing that he had gotten himself worried for no good reason and responded with a deflated. 'Fair point...'

A familiar voice was heard over a walkie-talkie attached to Maru's waist and although you couldn't fully make out what was said, Maru responded to it quickly before bidding you farewell and running off. 'Yeah no problem boss- see you later kid!'

A few minutes passed and you decided to ask Cap'n Cuttlefish a question. 'Why does he call me kid? Why does he not use my actual name?' Cap'n Cuttlefish paused for a moment and explained to you why Maru did such a thing. 'Maru is an odd young man, but he's quite practical and methodical. I think Marie mentioned to me before that his Father- Maru's Father, wasn't a good man. Violent temper, a drunk- used to scream his dead name across the whole house. Doesn't like to really refer to anyone by name- especially children. Probably a way of coping with it I suppose…'

He then went on to explain why he used the term kid instead of anything else, when you asked about it. 'Maru teaches children, children your age- from all sorts of backgrounds, like that Tsuyo girl. He refers to them as kid as it makes them separate from their identity at home- it's a good idea if I'm honest, makes everyone an equal. He has quite the soft spot for that Tsuyo girl actually- he probably sees a bit of himself in her...'

Some things began to make more sense to you, one of them you sincerely hoped wasn't the case and just a misinterpretation- but you decided to not think about it for too long so as to not worry and so you asked him about something he had mentioned previously but didn't quite understand. 'What's this about a dead name- what do you mean by it?'

'Oh- Maru has changed his name, I'm not quite sure how to explain it to you- but... Maru- his name wasn't always Maru, their name has been changed from the one they were given at birth. Now from my understanding, they didn't identify as the gender they were born with, so when they were old enough to move out and live on their own- they were able to begin transitioning. But medically they were only able to begin not that long ago. Two years ago they were able to begin actually- they had their surgery not that long ago as far as I remember...'

'How come he's never mentioned it before? As I'm only learning about this now…' 'Suppose he had no need too, or maybe the right occasion never came up. Besides, it's not overly important- it's just part of him. Just because something is a part of someone, doesn't mean it's their defining feature!' 'I suppose that's true…'

It appeared that the Cap'n knew you were thinking about something, and asked you about it. 'Is something bothering you laddie?' You hesitated for a second, before beginning to answer. 'This might sound like an odd question Cap'n, but-' You were interrupted by a quick laugh, as he tried to lighten the mood of the situation. 'But what laddie? Go on- I've heard many the question in my lifetime!'

You asked him in a quiet and mild voice. 'What is love?' His demeanour changed and he was clearly surprised by your sudden question. 'Love?' You politely responded. 'Yes- what is it?' He paused for a second, before he began to answer your question. 'Well- depends on the definition you want, but I just don't think I'm the best person to ask for this sort of stuff. Unless you're for the platonic version of it, then I could answer it- but I couldn't answer the romantic definition fully for you, open up an old wound of mine...'

You were confused by those unfamiliar terms, and repeated them back to him. 'Platonic? Romantic?' The mention of love seemed to stir up a small amount of sadness in the man, but he ignored it and carried on. 'I mean- I could try and give you the basic rundown of it for you laddie, but I can't promise you it'll be good… Well- platonic love is often used for family and friends, to describe your feelings towards them. It would be defined as familiar and or a form of platonic love.'

It started to make sense to you, but you gave an example to make sure you understood it correctly. 'So… I'd feel platonic love or familial love towards Akatsuki, but I'd struggle to feel it around the likes Rei.' He agreed with you and responded with a, 'I suppose so yes.' You were happy that you understood it, and so you let him continue his explanation and he went on to explain romantic love to you.

'Romantic love on the other hand, is when you have a partner. I think Inklings would tend to have multiple partners throughout their lifetime, but Octolings would only ever really have one. But that isn't to say that opposites can't happen, why an Inkling can only ever have one true partner in their lifetime, whilst an Octoling may have multiple.' Although you had never felt romantic attraction before, you vaguely remembered something about your biological parents and decided to ask about it.

'Can romantic love ever be platonic, as in they don't show much affection?' He then explained to you, 'Yes, romantic love can be platonic. Some people just don't wish to have a fully romantic relationship- I would add something to this conversation, but you're a bit young to know about it and you can learn about it later.' Although, you still felt somewhat dissatisfied and asked him another question.

You opened up an old wound of yours and asked him something rather specific. 'As my parents didn't really show much affection around each other, but I'm sure they did love each other. Would that be platonic love in terms of romance?' He then smiled at you lightly, and told you with some mild amusement. 'No no, I think it was definitely romantic, but they showed affection in their own way I imagine.'

Curiosity got the better of you in the end, and so you asked him. 'What did you leave out anyway?' He held back his laughter, and saved it until after he was finished. 'Hmm- shall we say the act of how children can be produced?' As his laughter died down, you asked him with complete innocence. 'How are children produced?' He started laughing again, and was laughing that much that he started to cry- a few minutes passed and after wiping the tears from his eyes, he told you in-between the last few laughs.

'Ok- tell you what, you go and ask someone in your house about it. I'm sure Maru or Natsu will answer your question. Now- I'm going to go and lie down for a bit- go and watch the birds or something.' You decided that you had pestered the poor man enough, and thought it would be wise to leave him be. 'Oh ok, thank you Cap'n.'

So you had walked away and went to the cliff edge, sat down and looked at the view- the sights similar to pictures you had seen from your schoolbooks from back when you resided in Octo Valley. It brought you a small amount of comfort, and you felt somewhat at peace for a while.

You seemed to have spaced out for a while, but running footsteps made you snap back to reality and you heard a familiar voice say, 'Ah, there you are. Ready to go?' You got up from where you were sitting and followed Maru wordlessly back to the apartment, to where you were given a warm welcome by Natsu when you finally got back. 'Hi Dad. Oh hey bud, how was your day?'

You responded with a simple, 'Fine.', as you took off your shoes and went in to see what she was doing. You saw a pot or two on the stovetop and some bowls and plates ready to serve the food, you washed your hands and Maru did as well and the three of you set about preparing the table for lunch.

When you all began eating, Natsu began making absentminded conversation with you. 'So, how's Mr Cuttlefish? Is he doing well?' You handed the small bowl of sliced chillis over to Maru as you answered her. 'Yes he's doing well, we had a long conversation about a few things.' Taking a drink from her glass of water, she cleared her throat before continuing to talk with you.

'What did you two talk about?' You went over everything you had talked about earlier to her, with Maru paying attention as well. 'Uhm- him going to stay in the country for a bit, him asking if I should join him and his granddaughters, oh I asked him about love.' They both seemed quite surprised by the last thing you said, and Maru asked in a mildly confused but intrigued tone. 'You asked him about love?'

Natsu had the same tone when she asked you, 'Why did you ask him about love, bud?' You answered her honestly and had explained to her a bit. 'Just wanted to make sense of something from my past is all...' Maru seemed a bit worried and asked concernedly. 'Oh God he didn't mention anything too bad did he?' Now you had become confused yourself, and paused for a few minutes before responding. 'I don't believe so- he mentioned the act of how children are made. I don't know what exactly he means by that though...'

'Hibiki, if you don't mind me asking- how old are you?' You were confused by his question, but you answered him anyway. 'I'm twelve, my birthday's in the winter- near spring.' There seemed to be a reason he was asking you this, although you weren't too sure what it was. 'Yeah- your birthday is on the 28th of February, Cap'n mentioned it to me. Your sister was born on the 3rd of March.'

He commented that, 'Your birthday is quite late in the year, but at least you're younger than some people.' You laughed a bit, but then you decided to ask him why he wanted to know your birthday. 'True- but what does my birthday have to do with anything?'

You looked at him like one of those confused animals from those videos Natsu showed you on her phone when he asked you. 'Did you ever receive the talk back home? From anyone?' Politely, you asked for clarification on what he meant. 'Um- I'm not too sure what you're implying, can you be a bit more specific please?' His answer was very abrupt and forward, causing Natsu to choke on her water whilst you were left very confused .'Sex, did you ever learn about sex?'

Sunny cleared her throat and recovered before exclaiming out of embarrassment. 'Dad- don't just say it straight up! At least sugar-coat it a bit…' You paused for a minute before telling them what you knew. 'No- I don't know what 'sex' is, but I'd know about sanitary products- although it's very minimal. They had them behind the mirror in the train's toilet in the Metro.'

Maru seemed to be glad that you had some knowledge, but prodded to see what else you knew. 'Ok- well you know something, what about protection?' You remembered something and decided to mention it and explain it. 'I think my mother decided to get something to stop her from having any more children, I think it was called Nexplanon- but most of the Takozones are required to have something like that, prevents them from having children. It allows them to keep working.'

'Ok well, Nexplanon is a form of protection for females or anyone that is compatible with it. It's 99% effective. Any of that sound familiar to you?' You laughed nervously, and answered him shyly- having to explain to him why your knowledge on this subject was rather limited. 'Um- I remember the Dr. had explained it to me briefly because I was intrigued by it. But I don't believe we learn about that stuff, we only learn what we're allowed to learn. Everything is tightly controlled, in fact- the history book I have contains a lot more about Inkling history than my history book back home.'

He seemed to process that and came to the conclusion that you needed to learn about this. 'Wait- so you don't even know anything about reproduction, or the talk- just a few bits and pieces? That's it?' You paused as you processed his questions, but came to answer. 'I suppose so- oh, is it part of science or something?'

He gave you instructions that you were to carry out whilst he cleared the dishes from lunch away. 'Well kid, looks like you're going to get a biology lesson today- go and get your science books, school is in session.' Natsu sighed, shaking her head as it rested in one of her hands over Maru's enthusiasm to teach you about this subject, but you just seen it as Maru wanting you to be well-informed and well-read. You knew you would have to cover this subject when you went to school so it didn't bother you very much.

As the video ended, Maru paused the video on the laptop and concluded the lesson with. 'Right, so that's basically what reproduction is.' The front door opened and Rei walked in with an excited Aka, he saw you all at the kitchen table and asked. 'What is even happening- why are you all at the kitchen table?'

Maru explained that he was teaching you about biology, to which Rei laughed and asked cheekily. 'Did he get grossed out at anything?' He seemed to be impressed when Maru said blankly. 'No- not even the video of the baby being born.' Sunny was honest with her answer when she was asked about it. 'It grossed me out, but it oddly fascinated me when I watched it in my own science class.'

'Well, my mother wanted me to be there when my sister was born, so it wasn't that bad. She's had multiple children you see- I think it was over in maybe 30 minutes or so. Besides, I have seen worse…' You commented, to which you decided to get and up and leave so you could organise all of your study notes and leave the others in peace. By the time dinner had rolled around, you had all sat down together to eat and not much had happened.

Rei seemed to remember something, and decided to bring it up. 'Oh yeah- Aka was at the doctors today for a check-up, and she's seven pounds now.' You were all happy with the news, but you decided to bring up something that had worried you because of what you had seen on the news that morning. 'Hopefully she gets bigger and bigger, although- I hope she doesn't suffer from childhood obesity... It's truly terrible to see normal children that should be as healthy as they can be, suffering because of poor decisions made by the ones that look after them...'

Although Maru did agree with you, he decided to bring up another point that made you feel like you could worry less. 'Yeah, but one of the kids I coach is dealing with it- or rather he's recovering from it through changes in his diet and exercising habits. He is a lot better now compared to when he was a lot younger, according to his mom and doctor. Although his case is because of genetics, so you should keep in mind that someone's guardians may not always be responsible in the way you think they are. Besides, young children need a small bit of fat on them to grow properly.'

Rei asked Maru a question seemingly out of forgetfulness. 'Is it that Connor boy? The one that hangs around with Josh and Chandler?' Maru 'Yeah- I helped him to do a physical examination not that long ago and he's definitely much better, his breathing especially. He doesn't have to rely much on his asthma pump anymore which is good, although him hanging around Chandler probably isn't very good for him if I'm honest...'

Out of your own curiousity, you asked Maru what he worked as. 'Are you what they call a paediatrician Maru?' He explained to you what he his job was and even suggested something to you. 'Not exactly, I'm a coach for kids your age, but I've been trained to help with children as well in terms of diet and fitness. Maybe I could take you to one of my classes someday, get you used to interacting with people your age.'

You politely turned down his offer, and felt bad for turning down the offer as you knew he meant well- but you told him honestly. 'I don't think I'm ready for that big of a venture yet, sorry...' You were glad that Maru was an understanding and patient man, and so he decided to ask you about Cap'n's offer instead. 'That's alright, but have you thought more about going on that trip with Cap'n?'

You decided to take up Cap'n's offer, but got nervous about the issue of your medication. 'I think I might go, it would be nice to see him again- he told me about the Promised Land whenever I asked him about it, and the country sounds nice… Ah- what about my medication?' Maru reassured you and brushed off any concerns you had with ease. 'It's easy enough, I'll give you my toiletry bag to borrow. Don't worry about it.'

Once you were finished with your dinner, Maru took the dishes you had collected from you and insisted you start packing. 'You should go and start packing. There's a spare suitcase in your wardrobe that you'll need. I'll have Pops let him know that you're going.' You thanked him and went into your room you take out the suitcase that was on the left side of the wardrobe, you had only ever used the right side of the wardrobe since you didn't feel like you needed to use the other side.

The clothes you had were from Rei's mother, who had kindly given them to your parents for you to use not long after you arrived to the Promised Land. The clothes were slightly big on you, but had fit you rather well otherwise. As much as you wanted to try out new types of clothes, you were too shy to ask Maru or Rei to do that, especially since you didn't want to come across as rude or ungrateful for being given the basics without any form of repayment or anything.

After you packed your suitcase with your clothes, you began to prepare your toiletry bag and pack it with some toiletries that you wouldn't need over the next few days- for you would have to pack the toiletries you would also need on the day you were leaving. You also made a note to pack the schoolbooks you'd need on the day you were leaving and set it on your desk, going to look over your notes for a bit before stopping to chat with Tsuyo for a bit on the phone.

Once you finished talking to her, you decided to go out for a bit on the balcony with Aka- spending some time with her whilst you looked out at the horizon, watching the sun slowly fade into the night. The warm colours of the day, fading into the cool night like paint mixing on a canvas splashed with water. You decided to talk to Aka for a bit, whilst you sat on the white folding chair- paying no mind to the minor noises from the street and the city.

'Do you remember that day Aka, the day we came to the Promised Land? Hmm- you probably won't once you get older, but at least I'll be able to tell you about it- minus a few things, of course…I'm… I'm not proud of what I did down there- I have many regrets… But, I don't regret being your brother- even if I don't think I deserve being called that...'

She started to giggle out of nowhere, and it made you laugh a bit as well. You sighed and looked at her endearingly, stroking her cheek gently with your thumb and continued to talk. 'Still, I have a promise to keep- from… From our mother… You probably don't even have any memory of her, of course- that's to be expected I suppose… I'll try my best to keep her memory alive, I'll tell you about her as much as I can, father too I suppose- although the only father you know now are Rei and Maru-'

Aka squealed in delight over the mention of your 'parents', and you joked that even though she was deaf- she seemed to know who you were talking about. You realised how dark it was now, and decided that it was time to head back inside for the night. 'Oh, it's getting awfully late now- time to put you to bed sweetheart.' You took her inside and put her in her crib, getting her all settled and saying goodnight to her, giving her a soft kiss on the forehead before leaving her room and heading off to bed yourself.

Chapter 1, Part 1 End

(Author's Note: In the UK, if you're going on holiday or going on a trip- it's common for people to put toiletries and medication in a small bag. Medication or other smaller things will be placed in plastic bags, whilst bigger things are kept separate.)