Chapter 3: Everything is New
Japas' room in the Zora University wasn't extremely big. Though compared to the other bedrooms, his place was fairly big. Big, yes. Clean, no. Pieces of Salmons, Biri, and Tektites were floating in the water. Some reef pens were doing water ballet from the circular motions of the current inside the room. Japas' bedroom was the same as the classrooms, where it was shaped like a dome or a mushroom that had two windows. A desk and a chair were beside one of the windowpanes, and a bed made up of jellyfishes' clear skin and green ocean plants was placed directly across the room.
"Geezes! Japas! This is only the first day of the school, and the day's almost over mind you, and you have already made this place looked like as if a bunch of Armos and Dodongos had a party overnight!" Mikau grimaced as he plucked away a piece of Tektite's leg from his face. "You know... how in the world can you drag a Tektite down into the ocean water?"
"What happened here?" Japas wondered as he swam around in the tiny compartment.
"What happened? Oh right. You lost your memory," the Zoran Hero sighed. "Well, it's for the best I guess. Otherwise you would feel ashamed of yourself for not keeping your room tidy."
"Is this my room?"
"Let's see. Unfinished guitar scores, some clams that are half-eaten, uh... seaweeds... now what the hell is this? Skulltula? Why would you have Skulltula bones here? What else is here... more seaweeds... some pictures of nude... female Zoras... Yup! This is your room all right." Mikau confirmed as he rummaged through Japas' pile of junks in one of the corners.
"Hey, I got a cool desk!" Japas exclaimed excitedly. He swam near one of the windows.
The 'desk' was actually made up of two different colored corals that were combined with redesigned reefs. Patches of sea plants were floating on all four corners of the table. A flat surface with a ripple pattern was piled with more papers, mostly doodles.
Mikau poked Japas' back with his tail. "Actually, I got a better desk than you."
Japas turned around, obviously wanted to challenge the Zoran Hero into a contest.
"No. Even if I have lost my memory, but I bet that I have a better- looking desk than you! Fish!"
Mikau licked his lips. "Riiight... as if! My parents had shipped a specially designed table right to this University!"
"Mine has a richer color!"
"Mine has sixteen different colors while yours only have... two."
Japas stared at him. He tried to think of a comeback, yet he couldn't think of any at the moment.
Mikau snickered. "Ha! Can't think of a response eh?"
"No, but I can still punch your lights out!" the Zora lunged at his friend... er... sort of a friend.
"Whoa!" Mikau caught the flying fist with his right hand. He twisted the wrist and bent the arm backward while he swam behind Japas. With his left arm, he locked Japas into a chokehold. "Man, you really need to calm yourself down. Like I said before, just because you have lost in a contest, that doesn't mean you have to make it personal."
"Yea, well I am sick of it that you kept on saying how you are better than me in everyway!" Japas snapped.
Mikau was stunned. "I've never said that I am better than you! You know, ever since your freaking brain is a blank, you have changed completely into a whole new different person!"
Japas wiggled his body around, but he couldn't get out of Mikau's grip. "Yea? Well don't I usually act like this?"
"Not when you are normal. You would always laugh at my comments and say how stupid they were, but never actually attacking me with hostile intension!"
"Let me go!"
Mikau leased him.
Japas swam away and sat on his bed. He rubbed his bruised wrist as he glared at Mikau.
"Look. I am tired of this situation and I think so are you. But I don't know how to fix you. Now will you cooperate with me so that you won't make things even more complicated?" Mikau said slowly.
"I am hungry."
"What?" Mikau frowned.
"I am hungry. Do you have any food here?"
The young Zora fumbled in one of the packs that were secured onto his waist. After a minute, he brought out one mini Shabom. He tossed it to Japas.
"Here. You can eat this."
Japas looked at the clear bubble with astonishments. "What is this?"
"It's a Shabom. You said it before that you like to eat them."
Japas took the tiny transparent ball and stuffed it into his mouth. He bit down and the juice sprayed all over the back of his throat. He spat it out.
"What the hell was that?" he yelled as he gagged.
The Zoran Hero moped. "I thought you like them!"
"Like this... thing? You must be joking! It tasted like... ugh!"
"Hey! You lied to me! You don't like Shabom one bit! So WHERE have you been?" Mikau scowled as he stood in front of Japas.
"I don't know I told you already! If I know where I have been, then I can remember everything!"
Both Zoras stared at each other. Finally, Mikau sighed. He floated down beside Japas and sat on the bed.
"I don't know how to deal with this... I - I just don't know..." he grabbed his head.
Japas placed one hand on Mikau's shoulder. "Hey. Don't worry about it. Sooner or later, I will remember. I will."
* * *
When dinnertime came, Japas and Mikau both headed toward the cafeteria. Yes, that's right. The cafeteria opened nearly twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for a Zora school. Otherwise, how did you think the Zoras fed themselves? I mean, they had to live IN the University for four years.
Mikau and Japas had left their guitar in Japas' room. Since they were going to an overcrowded area, leaving the precious instruments in the bedroom seemed to be the best idea.
"Hey Or'an!" Mikau yelled and waved at his new friend. Students were pushing and shoving against him.
Japas growled and tried to bite one that had bumped into him carelessly.
Or'an was the Zora that had 'lost' his textbook that day in the second period in the Singing class, thanks to Japas' error. Then he and Mikau were in the fourth period together. It was a Literature Writing class. He and the Zoran Hero sat behind one long table, and they became friends.
"Yo!" Or'an waved as he swam toward his friend. "How's it going?"
"Bad. Really bad. Japas here has lost his memory, and I don't know how to get it back for him."
Or'an's warm gaze turned slightly cold when he saw Japas. Personally, he was not very happy to see the bully-like Zora. Why, with Japas' overgrown fins covering his eyes, and those scraps and bruises on his body, Japas looked like a hoodlum instead of a student.
"Lost his memory eh?"
"Do I know you?" Japas asked as he observed the bulky Zora in front of him. Bulky... as in full of muscles... bigger than him...
Or'an laughed. "Man, you picked a fine time to flush out your brain! I was planning to find you and settle the score with ya. You know, for making me looked like a Deku Scrub that has no brain in front of the class by taking my book. I heard what you said about me when I told the teacher about my situation. You said 'dumb kid'. But seeing how nice I am, I guess I could let you go without adding more injuries to the ones that were already on you right now." He stopped and looked at Japas closely. "Speaking of which, what happened to you anyway? Got in a fight or something?"
Japas stared at his wounds again. Most were healing up fine, but you could still see some cuts and burns from the electric shock.
"I have no idea. I don't remember anything at all. Do I have classes in this school?"
Or'an shot a look at Mikau. Mikau shrugged, signaling: "don't ask me how he had gotten into this condition. I am just as baffled as you are right now".
"Well, for all I know, you are in my Singing class with Mikau. How about we sit down somewhere and get something to eat first? I can't think of anything with an empty stomach."
Mikau and Japas followed Or'an to a table near the entrance. Sure the spot sucked, but it was the only free table in the whole food court.
A round and fat Bottom-feeder swam sluggishly to them. He gave them each a menu and stood by, waiting to take orders.
"I will have a plate of seasoned Shabom with clams on the side," Mikau ordered as he looked down the list of options.
"Do you guys import trout?" Or'an asked. The Bottom-feeder nodded. "Okay, I will have three fresh trout... they are fresh right? Even though they are dead, right? Good. Then I will have three fresh trout with red sea urchins."
The Bottom-feeder frantically scribbled down the orders. He then waited for Japas.
The Zora stared at the menu for a loooooooong time. He couldn't remember all the names of the underwater creatures. And he certainly didn't know if they were tasty or not.
The Bottom-feeder began to tap his reef pen.
Mikau poked Japas in the chest, and whispered, "Hurry up!"
"What? Oh... oh... uh... I - I think... I will have... Shell Blades mixed with Biri." Japas sighed as he closed the booklet. He noticed Mikau and Or'an staring at him. "What? Something on my face?"
"Shell Blades with Biri? What kind of gross food is that?" Mikau said as he fought down the urge of throwing up.
"It doesn't even exist in the menu!" Or'an added.
Then the Bottom-feeder spoke, for the first time, "Actually, the order IS in the menu. It is just written in one of the corners with very small sized letters."
Mikau searched and found it. "Why would you have such thing as Shell Blades here?" he yelled with disbelieve.
The Bottom-feeder shrugged. "Some weird Zoras loved to eat weird food. Your friend here is just one of the cases. A nut case actually. By the way, don't choke on the blades. They might cut your throat from inside." With that final advice, he swam away.
Or'an chortled. "How in the world do you eat a Shell Blade, let alone three or four of them on the same plate? I hope they are not as sharp and as big as the ones near the Chaotic Rim a few miles from here."
"I don't know. I thought they might taste good," Japas said as he yawned. This was one very tiring day, trying to remember everything when your brain was like, totally empty.
"We REALLY need to get his memory back," Mikau leaned forward. "I just can't bear to see him eating sharp weapons for no reason!"
"Okay, then let's think of ways to get the old Japas back while the food was being prepared." Or'an slanted on the table, supporting his head with one arm.
"Are Like Like good to eat?" Japas asked when he picked up another menu and studied it.
~End Chapter 3~
Author's Note: Ahhhh... Finally! I have finally finished writing Chapter 3. I mean, at first I was out of ideas you know? I couldn't continue the story, which is very frustrating for me. But here I am, finishing this chapter off... I feel pretty good actually. It is hard to get in some jokes into this story. I guess that I have no sense of humor at all. Still, I am trying. I am! Really! I hope that some of you readers would laugh in the right sections, or at least feel amused by this little plot. I just can't imagine people laugh when they are not supposed to laugh yet, you know? Anywhoo, Chapter 4 is next! Stay tuned!
Japas' room in the Zora University wasn't extremely big. Though compared to the other bedrooms, his place was fairly big. Big, yes. Clean, no. Pieces of Salmons, Biri, and Tektites were floating in the water. Some reef pens were doing water ballet from the circular motions of the current inside the room. Japas' bedroom was the same as the classrooms, where it was shaped like a dome or a mushroom that had two windows. A desk and a chair were beside one of the windowpanes, and a bed made up of jellyfishes' clear skin and green ocean plants was placed directly across the room.
"Geezes! Japas! This is only the first day of the school, and the day's almost over mind you, and you have already made this place looked like as if a bunch of Armos and Dodongos had a party overnight!" Mikau grimaced as he plucked away a piece of Tektite's leg from his face. "You know... how in the world can you drag a Tektite down into the ocean water?"
"What happened here?" Japas wondered as he swam around in the tiny compartment.
"What happened? Oh right. You lost your memory," the Zoran Hero sighed. "Well, it's for the best I guess. Otherwise you would feel ashamed of yourself for not keeping your room tidy."
"Is this my room?"
"Let's see. Unfinished guitar scores, some clams that are half-eaten, uh... seaweeds... now what the hell is this? Skulltula? Why would you have Skulltula bones here? What else is here... more seaweeds... some pictures of nude... female Zoras... Yup! This is your room all right." Mikau confirmed as he rummaged through Japas' pile of junks in one of the corners.
"Hey, I got a cool desk!" Japas exclaimed excitedly. He swam near one of the windows.
The 'desk' was actually made up of two different colored corals that were combined with redesigned reefs. Patches of sea plants were floating on all four corners of the table. A flat surface with a ripple pattern was piled with more papers, mostly doodles.
Mikau poked Japas' back with his tail. "Actually, I got a better desk than you."
Japas turned around, obviously wanted to challenge the Zoran Hero into a contest.
"No. Even if I have lost my memory, but I bet that I have a better- looking desk than you! Fish!"
Mikau licked his lips. "Riiight... as if! My parents had shipped a specially designed table right to this University!"
"Mine has a richer color!"
"Mine has sixteen different colors while yours only have... two."
Japas stared at him. He tried to think of a comeback, yet he couldn't think of any at the moment.
Mikau snickered. "Ha! Can't think of a response eh?"
"No, but I can still punch your lights out!" the Zora lunged at his friend... er... sort of a friend.
"Whoa!" Mikau caught the flying fist with his right hand. He twisted the wrist and bent the arm backward while he swam behind Japas. With his left arm, he locked Japas into a chokehold. "Man, you really need to calm yourself down. Like I said before, just because you have lost in a contest, that doesn't mean you have to make it personal."
"Yea, well I am sick of it that you kept on saying how you are better than me in everyway!" Japas snapped.
Mikau was stunned. "I've never said that I am better than you! You know, ever since your freaking brain is a blank, you have changed completely into a whole new different person!"
Japas wiggled his body around, but he couldn't get out of Mikau's grip. "Yea? Well don't I usually act like this?"
"Not when you are normal. You would always laugh at my comments and say how stupid they were, but never actually attacking me with hostile intension!"
"Let me go!"
Mikau leased him.
Japas swam away and sat on his bed. He rubbed his bruised wrist as he glared at Mikau.
"Look. I am tired of this situation and I think so are you. But I don't know how to fix you. Now will you cooperate with me so that you won't make things even more complicated?" Mikau said slowly.
"I am hungry."
"What?" Mikau frowned.
"I am hungry. Do you have any food here?"
The young Zora fumbled in one of the packs that were secured onto his waist. After a minute, he brought out one mini Shabom. He tossed it to Japas.
"Here. You can eat this."
Japas looked at the clear bubble with astonishments. "What is this?"
"It's a Shabom. You said it before that you like to eat them."
Japas took the tiny transparent ball and stuffed it into his mouth. He bit down and the juice sprayed all over the back of his throat. He spat it out.
"What the hell was that?" he yelled as he gagged.
The Zoran Hero moped. "I thought you like them!"
"Like this... thing? You must be joking! It tasted like... ugh!"
"Hey! You lied to me! You don't like Shabom one bit! So WHERE have you been?" Mikau scowled as he stood in front of Japas.
"I don't know I told you already! If I know where I have been, then I can remember everything!"
Both Zoras stared at each other. Finally, Mikau sighed. He floated down beside Japas and sat on the bed.
"I don't know how to deal with this... I - I just don't know..." he grabbed his head.
Japas placed one hand on Mikau's shoulder. "Hey. Don't worry about it. Sooner or later, I will remember. I will."
* * *
When dinnertime came, Japas and Mikau both headed toward the cafeteria. Yes, that's right. The cafeteria opened nearly twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for a Zora school. Otherwise, how did you think the Zoras fed themselves? I mean, they had to live IN the University for four years.
Mikau and Japas had left their guitar in Japas' room. Since they were going to an overcrowded area, leaving the precious instruments in the bedroom seemed to be the best idea.
"Hey Or'an!" Mikau yelled and waved at his new friend. Students were pushing and shoving against him.
Japas growled and tried to bite one that had bumped into him carelessly.
Or'an was the Zora that had 'lost' his textbook that day in the second period in the Singing class, thanks to Japas' error. Then he and Mikau were in the fourth period together. It was a Literature Writing class. He and the Zoran Hero sat behind one long table, and they became friends.
"Yo!" Or'an waved as he swam toward his friend. "How's it going?"
"Bad. Really bad. Japas here has lost his memory, and I don't know how to get it back for him."
Or'an's warm gaze turned slightly cold when he saw Japas. Personally, he was not very happy to see the bully-like Zora. Why, with Japas' overgrown fins covering his eyes, and those scraps and bruises on his body, Japas looked like a hoodlum instead of a student.
"Lost his memory eh?"
"Do I know you?" Japas asked as he observed the bulky Zora in front of him. Bulky... as in full of muscles... bigger than him...
Or'an laughed. "Man, you picked a fine time to flush out your brain! I was planning to find you and settle the score with ya. You know, for making me looked like a Deku Scrub that has no brain in front of the class by taking my book. I heard what you said about me when I told the teacher about my situation. You said 'dumb kid'. But seeing how nice I am, I guess I could let you go without adding more injuries to the ones that were already on you right now." He stopped and looked at Japas closely. "Speaking of which, what happened to you anyway? Got in a fight or something?"
Japas stared at his wounds again. Most were healing up fine, but you could still see some cuts and burns from the electric shock.
"I have no idea. I don't remember anything at all. Do I have classes in this school?"
Or'an shot a look at Mikau. Mikau shrugged, signaling: "don't ask me how he had gotten into this condition. I am just as baffled as you are right now".
"Well, for all I know, you are in my Singing class with Mikau. How about we sit down somewhere and get something to eat first? I can't think of anything with an empty stomach."
Mikau and Japas followed Or'an to a table near the entrance. Sure the spot sucked, but it was the only free table in the whole food court.
A round and fat Bottom-feeder swam sluggishly to them. He gave them each a menu and stood by, waiting to take orders.
"I will have a plate of seasoned Shabom with clams on the side," Mikau ordered as he looked down the list of options.
"Do you guys import trout?" Or'an asked. The Bottom-feeder nodded. "Okay, I will have three fresh trout... they are fresh right? Even though they are dead, right? Good. Then I will have three fresh trout with red sea urchins."
The Bottom-feeder frantically scribbled down the orders. He then waited for Japas.
The Zora stared at the menu for a loooooooong time. He couldn't remember all the names of the underwater creatures. And he certainly didn't know if they were tasty or not.
The Bottom-feeder began to tap his reef pen.
Mikau poked Japas in the chest, and whispered, "Hurry up!"
"What? Oh... oh... uh... I - I think... I will have... Shell Blades mixed with Biri." Japas sighed as he closed the booklet. He noticed Mikau and Or'an staring at him. "What? Something on my face?"
"Shell Blades with Biri? What kind of gross food is that?" Mikau said as he fought down the urge of throwing up.
"It doesn't even exist in the menu!" Or'an added.
Then the Bottom-feeder spoke, for the first time, "Actually, the order IS in the menu. It is just written in one of the corners with very small sized letters."
Mikau searched and found it. "Why would you have such thing as Shell Blades here?" he yelled with disbelieve.
The Bottom-feeder shrugged. "Some weird Zoras loved to eat weird food. Your friend here is just one of the cases. A nut case actually. By the way, don't choke on the blades. They might cut your throat from inside." With that final advice, he swam away.
Or'an chortled. "How in the world do you eat a Shell Blade, let alone three or four of them on the same plate? I hope they are not as sharp and as big as the ones near the Chaotic Rim a few miles from here."
"I don't know. I thought they might taste good," Japas said as he yawned. This was one very tiring day, trying to remember everything when your brain was like, totally empty.
"We REALLY need to get his memory back," Mikau leaned forward. "I just can't bear to see him eating sharp weapons for no reason!"
"Okay, then let's think of ways to get the old Japas back while the food was being prepared." Or'an slanted on the table, supporting his head with one arm.
"Are Like Like good to eat?" Japas asked when he picked up another menu and studied it.
~End Chapter 3~
Author's Note: Ahhhh... Finally! I have finally finished writing Chapter 3. I mean, at first I was out of ideas you know? I couldn't continue the story, which is very frustrating for me. But here I am, finishing this chapter off... I feel pretty good actually. It is hard to get in some jokes into this story. I guess that I have no sense of humor at all. Still, I am trying. I am! Really! I hope that some of you readers would laugh in the right sections, or at least feel amused by this little plot. I just can't imagine people laugh when they are not supposed to laugh yet, you know? Anywhoo, Chapter 4 is next! Stay tuned!