Chapter 21: From Semi Teenager to Full Adolescent
It was grand. The place that the High Polar High School had rented was enormous. The Advance Music Class in the school, the class that Mikau and Lahko were in, was funding the place. Giant slabs of granite stones on the ground were the central platform for the stage. Beneath the raised areas, hundreds of thousands of Zoras were attending the concert. The scene was chaotic. The musical band was made up of ten Zoran students; all had their specialties and important roles for the show. And with a special privilege, Japas was invited. He would be performing on the stage also. He had help from Mikau. It was seven o'clock after dinnertime. Just fifteen more minutes and the cabaret would start off with a big bang of symbols. The lighting was excellent. With over forty humongous lighting fish being brought to the locale from far away, the location was as bright as day. Red orange rays shone forward like hot arrows, warming up the cool sand and lighting up shady areas.
Behind the stage, which was covered with curtains supported by poles driven deep into the ocean sand, the performers were extremely nervous and excited. Mikau was tuning his guitar over and over again.
"I can't stop shaking. I am too frightened to move right now," Mikau's voice quivered. His arm blades had lengthened without him knowing it.
"You are going to screw up if you keep up like this," Lahko was wiping his new piano lovingly.
He had received a message from the school two months ago stating that he would be getting the most expensive, top quality instrument as an reward for getting excellent grades in his level. Lahko was so happy at that time that he had slammed into the wall while rushing out of his house to tell Mikau.
"Yeah? Well, everyone will have stage fright today. This is the first time that we are performing in front of the biggest crowds ever seen in Termina!" Japas sighed as he too, made final adjustments to his guitar.
"Bah! Like you are not afraid?" Lahko tapped the keys.
Looking up, Japas smiled. "No. I think I am just... I don't know. Like to show off?"
"Figures," Lahko replied as he flopped onto a soft chair on the side.
"You two are not going to have a brawl on the stage today, are you?" Mikau narrowed his eyes as he gazed at his friends suspiciously.
"No way! This is once in a lifetime. I ain't gonna ruin this perfect opportunity to become a star by punching Lahko here in the face!" Japas slapped his friend's back real hard.
Both Lahko and Japas were associates ever since that fight in the street. They both had met each other three months ago in front of 'Hip and Pop'. At first, they didn't know each other. Then, just before Lahko disappeared around a corner, Japas had remembered how Mikau described his classmate. Whirling around, he caught up with the innocent Zora, and gave the poor kid a punch in the face. Jealousy. That was how the battle between the two teenagers began. Luckily, two Enforcers were nearby, and they quickly settled the fracas.
Some days later, Mikau arranged a party inviting only two Zoras. Guess who were those two? At his best buddy's house, Japas and Lahko came to know each other much better. In fact, Japas thought that Lahko was a cool guy. And Lahko? Well, he thought Japas was funny.
"And even if we ARE going to have a fight, I can't win this fishy here," Lahko grinned as he closed his eyes.
"Hey, hey! Watch ya mouth, boy! I even saved some energies when I wrestled with ya a while back," Japas pumped his biceps.
Mikau burst out laughing. "Sure, Japas. I've seen how you screamed with pain when Lahko placed you in a headlock."
"Man, you sure know how to ruin a guy's fun, don't you?"
"That's me! The serious type kinda guy."
"How about sissy type kind of guy?" Lahko joked. He dodged a flying drumstick.
A Bottom-feeder came to the three Musketeers. He carried a set of golden symbols on his back. He moved extremely slow, for the fact that his legs were very short. His two horn-like fins on the top of his head twitched a little. Probably from all the thrills heating up in the water. He had a golden-tan colored skin, with two small, beady red eyes rolling here and there. He was what the other Zoras called: a Night Hunter, dedicating his entire life living near areas where the lighting was unbelievably poor. The red eyes were infrared eyes that could detect heat signatures within a prey's body in the water.
"Yo! We are going to start in about five minutes. Ya'll ready?" he said with a tad high voice.
"As ready as we can be!"
"Right. I'll see you all later on stage then!" the Bottom-feeder left.
Sucking in a deep breath, Mikau looked at his companions.
Nodding, Lahko stretched while groaning. He said, "Well. This is it. Our show, our life. We make this a great success and we will be famous. Everyone will know our names."
"Unless we screwed it up. Then everyone will come and scream at us, beat at us, and throw things at us," Japas sneered weakly.
An unusual silence rolled through them. Mikau and Lahko were frowning.
"What?"
"Don't, say, that." Both of them muttered.
Laughing, Japas grabbed his guitar and dashed toward the front stage. Mikau followed, and Lahko swam closely behind.
* * *
The place grew quiet as the time approached zero. After a few more minutes of waiting, a loud crashing sound exploded from the right side of the colossal stage. The curtains were lifted, exposing the instrumentalists. The crowds cheered as the singers, guitarists, piano guys, and drummers started their harmonious pieces. The music was deafening. The melodies were wonderful. The tempos were so great, so nice, so beautifully timed, that every single Zora was dancing along with them. Mikau's solo came up after Japas stringed his last deep sounding notations. Series of high volume notes were played as the Zoran Hero rapidly danced his fingers among the guitar strings. He gradually arced backward as he closed his eyes tightly, trying to feel the music within him. With a wide smooth slash from the top of the guitar to the bottom of the guitar, the highest pitch spewed forward, leaving a loud resonance echoing through the people and the sets. Just before the vibrations ended, the rest of the band joined in, blending metal, wood, and strings together in perfect concord.
Two hours of performance, and over twenty music scores were played. Filled with hype and laughter, all four thousand Zoras were having a blast of their life.
Finally, with a last discharge of symbols, following tightly with the drums, the show ended. It was a success. The students were all sweating from fear, delight, and most of all, pride. Zoras cheered and applauded as the teenagers bowed and left the stage.
"Yeah! We rule!" Japas screamed as he grabbed Mikau and rubbed his head.
"Gack! Stop- Stop that! It hurts!" Mikau pushed the Zora away.
"Way to go! We've actually done it! Everyone is awesome out there!" The head of the band exclaimed.
"I am not going to do that again," Lahko tried to stop quavering.
After packing up and all the stimulations faded away, it was nine o'clock at night. Most people had left already. Mikau, Japas, and Lahko were still talking as they slowly swam down the nearly empty streets.
"It's getting rather late. I think I'll go home now," Lahko looked around.
"Hey, how about you come over to my house tonight?" Mikau suggested.
"Uh, are you sure? I mean, won't your parents be mad?"
Kicking Lahko in the rear playfully, Japas said, "Relax! Mikau's parents are easy going, am I right?" He side-glanced his pal.
"Yeah sure. You've slept over at my house countless times," Mikau sighed helplessly. Then he grinned. "I just got a crazy idea."
"What? Putting octopus onto your ass?" Japas sneered. He evaded Mikau's fist.
Lahko grimaced at the image in his head.
"How about you two sleep over at my house?"
"Mikau, you have a crazy mind. Why would you propose that?"
"Because he is this 'good kid, good student' Zoran Hero," Japas started to swim faster than them. "And he wants to get his mommy and daddy angry!"
"Yeah. I haven't seen my mom get mad at me. Help me make her angry so that I can be satisfied."
"You're serious?" Lahko was surprise.
Slapping his forehead, Mikau yelled, "Of course I am NOT serious! I was being sarcastic following Japas, that fool fish's comment!"
"Hey! I heard that!" a faint voice trailed up from further away, where there was a small speck of dot moving around in circles, waiting.
Both of them laughed as they went to catch up with their partner. When Mikau had arrived at his house with his two friends, from far away, Zoras in their homes could hear Lynisana scream, "MIKAU!"
* * *
Five more years had passed ever since that huge musical performance. During those years, Mikau had made a good number of friends. Japas had grown to accept the fact that Mikau needs some companions other than him. Endolus had left Termina three years ago. Before his departure, he had left Mikau a small gift: a rare pearl found only in the Chaotic Rim, Mikau's origin. Lahko had moved to the Great Bay region a year before graduation. His parents were having money difficulty. Mikau still lived in the same place, same as Japas.
On the day of commencement, Ruan, Lynisana, and Japas all attended the ceremony. They cheered as the Zoran Hero received the Academic Awards and the certificate. Mikau headed back to his seat beside Japas, where he proudly announced that he would be able to go to the University in the Great Bay. Japas laughed as he told Mikau that he, too, is going to attend the University in the same place. Surprised, Mikau asked how did the Zora manage to get into such a great institution of higher education without needing the fore mentioned edifications. Smirking, Japas told him that it was a secret.
Another week had passed. Mikau's twentieth birthday came and went. Japas had his nineteen years old birthday on the same day as Mikau. And it was such a coincidence that both teenagers were pondering about while they chatted. It was already very unusual for Japas to have similar characteristics as Mikau, and it was even more unusual to have two different birthdays at the same day. But? it was a mystery yet to be solved? maybe.
After resting and fooling around for two months, Mikau and Japas were ready to head over to the Great Bay. Before leaving, Lynisana had given Mikau a body tattoo. At first, the Zoran Hero declined severely. He said it was very foolish to look like that. Yet, under the persuasions (and some threats), he had finally accepted the initiation. His mom had kept on telling him that all Zoran Heroes must have such body paint. Even his real father had the same design. Japas snickered as he watched Mikau squirmed under the prickling sensation on his skin from the needle that was dipped in oil paint. Mikau growled, saying that his fishy friend was no different. Indeed, over the past few years, Japas had these blue stain spots appearing on his head, tail, fins, and back. Japas retorted, answering that Mikau had the same blue blotches on the back of his body too.
Early in the morning, both Zoras left their houses with suitcases in each hand. Japas had luggage wrapped up in seaweeds, while Mikau had bubbles to contain his supplies. Both had their guitars strapped onto their back. Great Bay was a day's journey. Mikau joked saying that perhaps they might get lucky and meet a Morpha along the way. Swimming across the ocean ground for hours, both of them were not tired at all. The scenery changed from one to another. At first the floor was bare, and was filled with rocks and boulders. Then, it was gradually filled with plants and animals. In mid- afternoon, they stopped to eat their lunch. A few more hours of swim, the ocean world began to get dark. Before the darkness engulfed the entire plain, Japas excitedly pointed at the distant light. They had finally arrived at their destination.
The University was a giant dome sitting near the shore, underwater of course. Lights shone out from the many windows around the place. Mikau and Japas went to the Reception Desk, reporting that they are the new students from Termina. The young female Zora with light orange colored skin eyed Mikau's body paint for a while. Then she smiled as she handed them two keys. She told them that they would be living in a dorm located on the surface of the water. Japas yelped with glee. Mikau was slightly frightened. He had never gone up to the surface before. Grabbing their belongings, Japas hurried Mikau through the door on their left. It was a smooth tunnel with marble stone floor leading up to the Dry World. When they both came out of the water, Mikau shuddered with slight chillness. He was used to the temperature of the water, not the air.
In front of them, another door stood its ground. Opening it, they were greeted with hundreds of Zoras from all over the world. Each had their uniqueness. Everyone was talking, walking around, or standing, leaning against the walls in the same spot while reading their books. The dorm was the biggest building that both teenagers had ever seen. A giant clam stage rested in the center hall, which was circular. Along the walls were passages leading deeper into the edifice, and doors with patterns leading into small rooms in which the students would sleep and study in. Well- designed mini waterfalls leaped from the gaps on the walls high above the ground. The roar of the water crashing onto the ground was breathtaking. A small channel was dug around the circular design of the main hall, which the water could leak into and be carried off somewhere else in the building. For some odd reasons, the place was silvery bright with energies even though the florescent fish were nowhere to be seen.
Mikau looked at the number on his key. It was room seven. Japas' was room eight. They were right next to each other. They walked to their room with anticipations. Opening the door, Mikau smiled to himself. His own room. His own private space without the eyes or the ears of the others. A room with a small Zoran-made waterfall on one side, and a small riverbed on the other. The room had a double deck. His bed was located at the top of the deck. Tables? Well, he would manage to find something to write on later. Japas yelled from his room, telling Mikau to come to his chamber. Upon entering, the Zoran Hero screamed.
"What the!"
"Cool isn't it?" Japas yelled with delight.
"That is NOT fair! How come you get a much bigger room than I do? What in the... is this room the inside of a giant King Crab?"
"I love this! See! It even matches my guitar!"
Mikau stomped the floor with jealousy. "This is insane!"
Japas' room could be a suite literally. It had a space much wider than Mikau's, and it had areas containing water, which were flowing and glittering with freshness (not that Mikau cared, since he had his own water source). But it was the massive decoration of the King Crab that had made Mikau jealous. The exoskeleton of the creature was embedded into the walls, floors, and ceilings, creating wonderful feelings.
After settling down and unpacking, Mikau came out from his room and told Japas to hurry up. They were going to explore the place. On their left, they could see a store that was called "Zora Shop". Inside the shop, various items were on the display shelves. Most female Zoras went to check up the prices while their boyfriends were standing around outside, talking to each other.
One Zora slammed into Mikau by accident. Turing around, the Zoran Hero was going to say something, but his mouth was unresponsive. In front of him was the cutest, sweetest, most beautiful female that he had ever seen. Her fins on her arms were like fans, spreading out with elegance. She had two large, crystal clear blue eyes. Her head was slight flat at the top, extending sideways, like a stingray's. Two more eyes were present at each end of the head. Large and round with reddish color. Her six ears flickered with slight shyness.
Japas brushed away his long fins as he stared at his friend with puzzlement. Mikau was frozen right on the spot like a statue.
"I am sorry. Are you alright?" her voice sang out with attractive sounds.
"I... I... I..." Mikau stuttered.
Japas suddenly laughed out loud as he held his stomach with his hands.
"Is your friend alright?" she asked with concern as she rubbed her right side ears with her right hand.
Looking at her, Japas grinned. "Sure. He's all right. He is just having... I don't know. 'Love Attack'?"
The girl was confused. Someone near the back of the central hall was calling her.
"Lulu! Hurry up! We are going to miss the show!" he yelled over the noises. Lots of Zoras were surging into the entrance of the unknown corridor.
Waving back an acknowledgement, she nodded. Shifting her attention back to Mikau, she smiled. "Well, if you are all right, then that's good to hear. I guess I'll see you later then." She swam away. Mikau's eyes followed her every movement. In his eyes, he saw sparkling stars shining out from Lulu's body.
Japas leered. "Yo! Wake up, my man!" He slapped his friend's face.
"Huh? What?"
"You?re almost fainted, do you know that?"
Mikau blushed. Clearing his throat, he gestured at the hallway around the Zora Shop. "Maybe we should check it out, what do you think?"
Smirking, Japas used his tail to smack Mikau's head. "I knew that you would ask that. You wanna see more of her?"
Not answering, perhaps feeling ashamed that he had let his emotion gotten control of him, Mikau swam forward.
"Hey! Wait up!" Japas yelled as he quickly followed after his friend.
~End Chapter 21~
Author's Note: Yeah! Finally, the story has moved five years forward. I don't want to drag this story too long. I don't think it's a good idea since I am getting little reviews, so there's no point of making super long story filled with hundreds of chapters.
Lulu has finally appeared in this story~! Wheee! Expecting more awesome chapters soon!
It was grand. The place that the High Polar High School had rented was enormous. The Advance Music Class in the school, the class that Mikau and Lahko were in, was funding the place. Giant slabs of granite stones on the ground were the central platform for the stage. Beneath the raised areas, hundreds of thousands of Zoras were attending the concert. The scene was chaotic. The musical band was made up of ten Zoran students; all had their specialties and important roles for the show. And with a special privilege, Japas was invited. He would be performing on the stage also. He had help from Mikau. It was seven o'clock after dinnertime. Just fifteen more minutes and the cabaret would start off with a big bang of symbols. The lighting was excellent. With over forty humongous lighting fish being brought to the locale from far away, the location was as bright as day. Red orange rays shone forward like hot arrows, warming up the cool sand and lighting up shady areas.
Behind the stage, which was covered with curtains supported by poles driven deep into the ocean sand, the performers were extremely nervous and excited. Mikau was tuning his guitar over and over again.
"I can't stop shaking. I am too frightened to move right now," Mikau's voice quivered. His arm blades had lengthened without him knowing it.
"You are going to screw up if you keep up like this," Lahko was wiping his new piano lovingly.
He had received a message from the school two months ago stating that he would be getting the most expensive, top quality instrument as an reward for getting excellent grades in his level. Lahko was so happy at that time that he had slammed into the wall while rushing out of his house to tell Mikau.
"Yeah? Well, everyone will have stage fright today. This is the first time that we are performing in front of the biggest crowds ever seen in Termina!" Japas sighed as he too, made final adjustments to his guitar.
"Bah! Like you are not afraid?" Lahko tapped the keys.
Looking up, Japas smiled. "No. I think I am just... I don't know. Like to show off?"
"Figures," Lahko replied as he flopped onto a soft chair on the side.
"You two are not going to have a brawl on the stage today, are you?" Mikau narrowed his eyes as he gazed at his friends suspiciously.
"No way! This is once in a lifetime. I ain't gonna ruin this perfect opportunity to become a star by punching Lahko here in the face!" Japas slapped his friend's back real hard.
Both Lahko and Japas were associates ever since that fight in the street. They both had met each other three months ago in front of 'Hip and Pop'. At first, they didn't know each other. Then, just before Lahko disappeared around a corner, Japas had remembered how Mikau described his classmate. Whirling around, he caught up with the innocent Zora, and gave the poor kid a punch in the face. Jealousy. That was how the battle between the two teenagers began. Luckily, two Enforcers were nearby, and they quickly settled the fracas.
Some days later, Mikau arranged a party inviting only two Zoras. Guess who were those two? At his best buddy's house, Japas and Lahko came to know each other much better. In fact, Japas thought that Lahko was a cool guy. And Lahko? Well, he thought Japas was funny.
"And even if we ARE going to have a fight, I can't win this fishy here," Lahko grinned as he closed his eyes.
"Hey, hey! Watch ya mouth, boy! I even saved some energies when I wrestled with ya a while back," Japas pumped his biceps.
Mikau burst out laughing. "Sure, Japas. I've seen how you screamed with pain when Lahko placed you in a headlock."
"Man, you sure know how to ruin a guy's fun, don't you?"
"That's me! The serious type kinda guy."
"How about sissy type kind of guy?" Lahko joked. He dodged a flying drumstick.
A Bottom-feeder came to the three Musketeers. He carried a set of golden symbols on his back. He moved extremely slow, for the fact that his legs were very short. His two horn-like fins on the top of his head twitched a little. Probably from all the thrills heating up in the water. He had a golden-tan colored skin, with two small, beady red eyes rolling here and there. He was what the other Zoras called: a Night Hunter, dedicating his entire life living near areas where the lighting was unbelievably poor. The red eyes were infrared eyes that could detect heat signatures within a prey's body in the water.
"Yo! We are going to start in about five minutes. Ya'll ready?" he said with a tad high voice.
"As ready as we can be!"
"Right. I'll see you all later on stage then!" the Bottom-feeder left.
Sucking in a deep breath, Mikau looked at his companions.
Nodding, Lahko stretched while groaning. He said, "Well. This is it. Our show, our life. We make this a great success and we will be famous. Everyone will know our names."
"Unless we screwed it up. Then everyone will come and scream at us, beat at us, and throw things at us," Japas sneered weakly.
An unusual silence rolled through them. Mikau and Lahko were frowning.
"What?"
"Don't, say, that." Both of them muttered.
Laughing, Japas grabbed his guitar and dashed toward the front stage. Mikau followed, and Lahko swam closely behind.
* * *
The place grew quiet as the time approached zero. After a few more minutes of waiting, a loud crashing sound exploded from the right side of the colossal stage. The curtains were lifted, exposing the instrumentalists. The crowds cheered as the singers, guitarists, piano guys, and drummers started their harmonious pieces. The music was deafening. The melodies were wonderful. The tempos were so great, so nice, so beautifully timed, that every single Zora was dancing along with them. Mikau's solo came up after Japas stringed his last deep sounding notations. Series of high volume notes were played as the Zoran Hero rapidly danced his fingers among the guitar strings. He gradually arced backward as he closed his eyes tightly, trying to feel the music within him. With a wide smooth slash from the top of the guitar to the bottom of the guitar, the highest pitch spewed forward, leaving a loud resonance echoing through the people and the sets. Just before the vibrations ended, the rest of the band joined in, blending metal, wood, and strings together in perfect concord.
Two hours of performance, and over twenty music scores were played. Filled with hype and laughter, all four thousand Zoras were having a blast of their life.
Finally, with a last discharge of symbols, following tightly with the drums, the show ended. It was a success. The students were all sweating from fear, delight, and most of all, pride. Zoras cheered and applauded as the teenagers bowed and left the stage.
"Yeah! We rule!" Japas screamed as he grabbed Mikau and rubbed his head.
"Gack! Stop- Stop that! It hurts!" Mikau pushed the Zora away.
"Way to go! We've actually done it! Everyone is awesome out there!" The head of the band exclaimed.
"I am not going to do that again," Lahko tried to stop quavering.
After packing up and all the stimulations faded away, it was nine o'clock at night. Most people had left already. Mikau, Japas, and Lahko were still talking as they slowly swam down the nearly empty streets.
"It's getting rather late. I think I'll go home now," Lahko looked around.
"Hey, how about you come over to my house tonight?" Mikau suggested.
"Uh, are you sure? I mean, won't your parents be mad?"
Kicking Lahko in the rear playfully, Japas said, "Relax! Mikau's parents are easy going, am I right?" He side-glanced his pal.
"Yeah sure. You've slept over at my house countless times," Mikau sighed helplessly. Then he grinned. "I just got a crazy idea."
"What? Putting octopus onto your ass?" Japas sneered. He evaded Mikau's fist.
Lahko grimaced at the image in his head.
"How about you two sleep over at my house?"
"Mikau, you have a crazy mind. Why would you propose that?"
"Because he is this 'good kid, good student' Zoran Hero," Japas started to swim faster than them. "And he wants to get his mommy and daddy angry!"
"Yeah. I haven't seen my mom get mad at me. Help me make her angry so that I can be satisfied."
"You're serious?" Lahko was surprise.
Slapping his forehead, Mikau yelled, "Of course I am NOT serious! I was being sarcastic following Japas, that fool fish's comment!"
"Hey! I heard that!" a faint voice trailed up from further away, where there was a small speck of dot moving around in circles, waiting.
Both of them laughed as they went to catch up with their partner. When Mikau had arrived at his house with his two friends, from far away, Zoras in their homes could hear Lynisana scream, "MIKAU!"
* * *
Five more years had passed ever since that huge musical performance. During those years, Mikau had made a good number of friends. Japas had grown to accept the fact that Mikau needs some companions other than him. Endolus had left Termina three years ago. Before his departure, he had left Mikau a small gift: a rare pearl found only in the Chaotic Rim, Mikau's origin. Lahko had moved to the Great Bay region a year before graduation. His parents were having money difficulty. Mikau still lived in the same place, same as Japas.
On the day of commencement, Ruan, Lynisana, and Japas all attended the ceremony. They cheered as the Zoran Hero received the Academic Awards and the certificate. Mikau headed back to his seat beside Japas, where he proudly announced that he would be able to go to the University in the Great Bay. Japas laughed as he told Mikau that he, too, is going to attend the University in the same place. Surprised, Mikau asked how did the Zora manage to get into such a great institution of higher education without needing the fore mentioned edifications. Smirking, Japas told him that it was a secret.
Another week had passed. Mikau's twentieth birthday came and went. Japas had his nineteen years old birthday on the same day as Mikau. And it was such a coincidence that both teenagers were pondering about while they chatted. It was already very unusual for Japas to have similar characteristics as Mikau, and it was even more unusual to have two different birthdays at the same day. But? it was a mystery yet to be solved? maybe.
After resting and fooling around for two months, Mikau and Japas were ready to head over to the Great Bay. Before leaving, Lynisana had given Mikau a body tattoo. At first, the Zoran Hero declined severely. He said it was very foolish to look like that. Yet, under the persuasions (and some threats), he had finally accepted the initiation. His mom had kept on telling him that all Zoran Heroes must have such body paint. Even his real father had the same design. Japas snickered as he watched Mikau squirmed under the prickling sensation on his skin from the needle that was dipped in oil paint. Mikau growled, saying that his fishy friend was no different. Indeed, over the past few years, Japas had these blue stain spots appearing on his head, tail, fins, and back. Japas retorted, answering that Mikau had the same blue blotches on the back of his body too.
Early in the morning, both Zoras left their houses with suitcases in each hand. Japas had luggage wrapped up in seaweeds, while Mikau had bubbles to contain his supplies. Both had their guitars strapped onto their back. Great Bay was a day's journey. Mikau joked saying that perhaps they might get lucky and meet a Morpha along the way. Swimming across the ocean ground for hours, both of them were not tired at all. The scenery changed from one to another. At first the floor was bare, and was filled with rocks and boulders. Then, it was gradually filled with plants and animals. In mid- afternoon, they stopped to eat their lunch. A few more hours of swim, the ocean world began to get dark. Before the darkness engulfed the entire plain, Japas excitedly pointed at the distant light. They had finally arrived at their destination.
The University was a giant dome sitting near the shore, underwater of course. Lights shone out from the many windows around the place. Mikau and Japas went to the Reception Desk, reporting that they are the new students from Termina. The young female Zora with light orange colored skin eyed Mikau's body paint for a while. Then she smiled as she handed them two keys. She told them that they would be living in a dorm located on the surface of the water. Japas yelped with glee. Mikau was slightly frightened. He had never gone up to the surface before. Grabbing their belongings, Japas hurried Mikau through the door on their left. It was a smooth tunnel with marble stone floor leading up to the Dry World. When they both came out of the water, Mikau shuddered with slight chillness. He was used to the temperature of the water, not the air.
In front of them, another door stood its ground. Opening it, they were greeted with hundreds of Zoras from all over the world. Each had their uniqueness. Everyone was talking, walking around, or standing, leaning against the walls in the same spot while reading their books. The dorm was the biggest building that both teenagers had ever seen. A giant clam stage rested in the center hall, which was circular. Along the walls were passages leading deeper into the edifice, and doors with patterns leading into small rooms in which the students would sleep and study in. Well- designed mini waterfalls leaped from the gaps on the walls high above the ground. The roar of the water crashing onto the ground was breathtaking. A small channel was dug around the circular design of the main hall, which the water could leak into and be carried off somewhere else in the building. For some odd reasons, the place was silvery bright with energies even though the florescent fish were nowhere to be seen.
Mikau looked at the number on his key. It was room seven. Japas' was room eight. They were right next to each other. They walked to their room with anticipations. Opening the door, Mikau smiled to himself. His own room. His own private space without the eyes or the ears of the others. A room with a small Zoran-made waterfall on one side, and a small riverbed on the other. The room had a double deck. His bed was located at the top of the deck. Tables? Well, he would manage to find something to write on later. Japas yelled from his room, telling Mikau to come to his chamber. Upon entering, the Zoran Hero screamed.
"What the!"
"Cool isn't it?" Japas yelled with delight.
"That is NOT fair! How come you get a much bigger room than I do? What in the... is this room the inside of a giant King Crab?"
"I love this! See! It even matches my guitar!"
Mikau stomped the floor with jealousy. "This is insane!"
Japas' room could be a suite literally. It had a space much wider than Mikau's, and it had areas containing water, which were flowing and glittering with freshness (not that Mikau cared, since he had his own water source). But it was the massive decoration of the King Crab that had made Mikau jealous. The exoskeleton of the creature was embedded into the walls, floors, and ceilings, creating wonderful feelings.
After settling down and unpacking, Mikau came out from his room and told Japas to hurry up. They were going to explore the place. On their left, they could see a store that was called "Zora Shop". Inside the shop, various items were on the display shelves. Most female Zoras went to check up the prices while their boyfriends were standing around outside, talking to each other.
One Zora slammed into Mikau by accident. Turing around, the Zoran Hero was going to say something, but his mouth was unresponsive. In front of him was the cutest, sweetest, most beautiful female that he had ever seen. Her fins on her arms were like fans, spreading out with elegance. She had two large, crystal clear blue eyes. Her head was slight flat at the top, extending sideways, like a stingray's. Two more eyes were present at each end of the head. Large and round with reddish color. Her six ears flickered with slight shyness.
Japas brushed away his long fins as he stared at his friend with puzzlement. Mikau was frozen right on the spot like a statue.
"I am sorry. Are you alright?" her voice sang out with attractive sounds.
"I... I... I..." Mikau stuttered.
Japas suddenly laughed out loud as he held his stomach with his hands.
"Is your friend alright?" she asked with concern as she rubbed her right side ears with her right hand.
Looking at her, Japas grinned. "Sure. He's all right. He is just having... I don't know. 'Love Attack'?"
The girl was confused. Someone near the back of the central hall was calling her.
"Lulu! Hurry up! We are going to miss the show!" he yelled over the noises. Lots of Zoras were surging into the entrance of the unknown corridor.
Waving back an acknowledgement, she nodded. Shifting her attention back to Mikau, she smiled. "Well, if you are all right, then that's good to hear. I guess I'll see you later then." She swam away. Mikau's eyes followed her every movement. In his eyes, he saw sparkling stars shining out from Lulu's body.
Japas leered. "Yo! Wake up, my man!" He slapped his friend's face.
"Huh? What?"
"You?re almost fainted, do you know that?"
Mikau blushed. Clearing his throat, he gestured at the hallway around the Zora Shop. "Maybe we should check it out, what do you think?"
Smirking, Japas used his tail to smack Mikau's head. "I knew that you would ask that. You wanna see more of her?"
Not answering, perhaps feeling ashamed that he had let his emotion gotten control of him, Mikau swam forward.
"Hey! Wait up!" Japas yelled as he quickly followed after his friend.
~End Chapter 21~
Author's Note: Yeah! Finally, the story has moved five years forward. I don't want to drag this story too long. I don't think it's a good idea since I am getting little reviews, so there's no point of making super long story filled with hundreds of chapters.
Lulu has finally appeared in this story~! Wheee! Expecting more awesome chapters soon!