Chapter 19
How high must the ocean be
For crash of water, make.
How nigh must the future be
For path of action, take.
Opening chords from the whale ivory piano echoed in the high ceilinged Singing classroom. The notes gradually slowed and paused, hesitating as if it's holding its breath, waiting...waiting... The singers anticipated this moment and itched to end the tension of music. They took a deep breath...
And suddenly Mrs. Yvett slammed her hand on the piano keys. The air that the students collected in their lungs came out in surprised cracking notes or hissing sighs rather than the singing notes they were supposed to produce. The students started talking among themselves in confusion, wondering what prompted their teacher to halt the song so abrubtly, so harshly. Mikau raised an eyeridge at Japas, who stood beside him. The thinner Zora shrugged back but the two of them shared no words. Lulu and Evan, on opposite ends of the benches, exchanged grimaces.
Mrs. Yvett, who still had one hand on the piano, put her other hand on her forehead as if he has a headache. She chewed her bottom lip in frustration. The Bottom-feeder whirled around to face her class, regarding them with one eye, then the other. But she quickly said in her usual cheerfulness, "Sorry about that. Let's try again."
Mrs. Yvett's fingers flew over the piano keys, again playing out the opening chords. Evan listened and watched the Bottom-feeder's playing with curiosity. Being a talented keyboarder himself, the eel-Zora critically analyzed Mrs. Yvett's skill with the piano. Her playing was decent, but lacked imagination. Sure, she got all the pianissimos, crescendos and fortissimos exactly where they're written to be, but Evan sensed her music lacked an element of emotion and personal imput.
Anyways, when the opening reached the part where the vocals came in, the students all took a deep breath. But once again, Mrs. Yvett slammed her hand on the piano keys, clearly distressed. The discordant piano notes grated in the ears of the listeners and the students again erupted in confused chatter. The teacher quickly recovered and gestured for slience.
"I knew it! I didn't see this before, but it seems that all of you have a really big problem with singing!" Mrs. Yvett seemed more frustrated with herself than with the students. Which was a relief, because no one knew what they did wrong and no one wants to see this sweet teacher angry at them. "Everyone try this: take a deep breath."
The students were still waiting for an explanation but obediently obliged. At the peak of their lung capacity, Mrs. Yvett yelled, "Stop! Hold your breaths!" Most of the Zoras froze with their chests expanded and some of them even had their cheeks puffed out in effort to keep the air in. A few of them, Japas included, found everyone else's expressions so hilarious that they lost their breath laughing.
"Aha! So this is the problem!" Mrs. Yvett proclaimed, picking up her conducting stick and waving it around. "I guess I didn't notice this before, but most of you don't even know how to breathe properly when singing! Let's see..." The Bottom-feeder paused, noting all the faces in the room that were beginning to turn purple. "Oh, by the way, you can exhale now." Everyone did so in relief.
"What is she talking about, Mikau?" Japas whispered to the Zorian Hero. "I know perfectly well how to breathe!" Mikau put a finger to his lips in sort of a 'shhh!' gesture. It intrigued him that something as natural as breathing could be done wrong.
"Everyone take a couple more deep breaths. Don't worry about holding it in this time." The students obeyed until Mrs. Yvett said, "You! Evan, correct? Come down here; you look like you know how to breathe properly. Why don't you demonstrate for everyone?" Evan went to the front of the room and breathed in and out. Mrs. Yvett poked Evan's stomach with her conducting stick. "Do you see that, everyone? When you breathe in, you want to extend your belly instead of your chest. It's the proper, natural way to breathe airside. You can hold more air in the stomach and your diaphragm has more power to push out with. Thank you, Evan, return to your spot. Now everyone else, keep breathing. I'll come around to check if you are doing it right."
As the Singing teacher squeezed herself between the students on the benches, she tried to correct their breathing with limited success. Mikau noted there were only four people which Mrs. Yvett credited with perfect breathing: Evan, Lulu and two other Zoras. When the teacher reached him, the Zorian Hero fully expected to be the fifth of the perfect breathers. After all, he's a talented musician, or so he's often told. (At least in guitar.) But when Mikau demonstrated his ability to breathe in, Mrs. Yvett only shook her head and frowned.
"Try this, dearie. Put a hand on your stomach and when you inhale, you should be able to feel your belly protrude outwards."
Mikau tried this, but all he could manage was to extend his belly while still breathing as he did before. It didn't feel natural. Mrs. Yvett knew this as well, but she has other students to attend to. "You should practice until you get it right, Mikau. Yes, I admit it's a strange concept to grasp, but you must learn how to breathe properly." The teacher moved on to the next student.
Mikau sighed and turned to his best friend. "Japas, do you get this whole breathing thing?"
Japas had his arms crossed and nose wrinkled distastefully. "This is stupid." He muttered. He was indignant at being told that his breathing was incorrect. "How can my breathing be wrong?! If I'm getting air into my lungs, then I'm doing it right! Especially since I was born airside. I was born with lungs before anyone else had them."
"Oh, quit griping. We'll get it sooner or later." Mikau said. And later it would probably be, for this whole class became devoted to just getting the breathing right. All one and half hours of class. By the time the bell rang, most of the students have become dizzy from hyperventilation. Mikau, Evan, Lulu and Japas walked out of the Arts building together, squinting in the early autumn sunset as they did so.
"Ah, I wish we could get on to the actual singing part of this Singing course." Lulu moaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She jumped off a ledge which was usually underwater, but the tides were unusually low today. Japas, Mikau and Evan followed suit, taking care not to land on each other as they splashed into the water. "Evan, where are you going?" Lulu asked, seeing the eel-Zora veer off to another direction.
Evan turned around and blinked. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. From now on, every other day after school, I'll be spending half an hour at a fighting course."
Lulu blinked, her expression unreadable. "But why??" She suddenly cried.
The eel-Zora was a little taken aback by her concern. "Well...for exercise, self-defence and because it's interesting to learn."
Now the girl looked annoyed. She put her hands against her hips and raised her chin, looking almost like a parody of Evan's usual pose. "It's always like this. You never tell me anything. You never have time to do anything because you always sign up for all these extra-curricular courses that you don't need."
Now it was Evan's turn to be annoyed. He copied Lulu's actions but somehow looked more assertive than her. "Don't be so selfish, Lulu. I can't be thinking of you all the time, can I?"
Lulu pouted, shifting into the very image of sadness. "But we hardly spend any time together..."
Evan swam close to Lulu and chuckled gently to reassure her. He placed a tender hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's not as if we're countries apart anymore. You'll be seeing me every day and trust me, you'll get sick of me soon enough."
His comment caused Lulu to laugh. She playfully pushed him away. "Fine! Go away, you fish! I'll have Mikau and Japas to keep me company." She turned to the two other Sleeks.
Mikau twitched at the mention of his name. He had been hoping to avoid notice for a while, at least until Evan and Lulu finished their delicate moment. He was embarrassed at having listened in on their conversation and he could feel it expressed as an increase of blood rising to his cheeks. He felt like an eavesdropper and a prude at the same time.
Japas bit his bottom lip. "Actually, some of the guys and I wanna hang out after school. Sorry." As if on cue, three other Zoras swam out from behind a building. One of them waved to Japas. Japas waved back and gave a shout. "That's them over there. See ya!" He flicked his tail and swam towards the other Zoras.
Once they were well out of earshot, Lulu tugged Mikau's arm. "Mikau, those are members of the CryBax gang, aren't they?" She asked anxiously. Mikau hesitated, then nodded his head. Lulu's lips tightened. "But why? I thought Japas is friends with you!"
Mikau looked at her with a pained expression on his face. "What does this have to do with me?" He asked.
"Well, you're his best friend, aren't you? And you don't want Japas involved in any gang, right?" Mikau nodded to both questions. Lulu tightened her grip on his arm. "Then you should do something!"
Mikau put a hand on his forehead and ran it down the length of his tail in a gesture of exaspiration. He sighed. "It's not as if I haven't tried. He's been lost for six years, remember? I don't know all that he's been through in that time or what kind of person he is now. Hey, as long as he doesn't have the CryBax tattoo on his arm, I'll be happy."
Mikau and Lulu watched as the shrinking specks that was Japas and the other three Zoras were joined by eight other people. Then they all suddenly veered off to the right, like a school of startled fish.
"Must be hard to see a friend like this." Lulu said quietly. There was a thoughtful silence between them for a second. Then Lulu abrubtly turned to Mikau and smiled, her long eyelashes flashing. "So, your place or mine?" She asked brightly, changing the topic.
"Huh?!" Mikau was shocked by Lulu's words. D...did she really mean what she said!? Mikau felt his face growing purple and sputtered for a response. "I um...uh s,wha...what? No, no!"
Lulu gave him an odd look. "Ooookay...Then do you have some other place to hang out? We can go to the mainland and go sightseeing but I'm afraid we'll get lost without someone who knows their way around."
"Huh? Oh! You just want to hang out!" Mikau coughed and recovered himself quickly. "I misheard you before. Um, I don't think we should go to my dorm because Tijo has more academic courses than us this semester. I don't think he wants to be disturbed all the time."
"Okay! Then my place it is!" Lulu declared cheerfully. She still had her hand on Mikau's arm, which she used to pull the Zorian Hero forward. "I noticed that you need some work on your breathing for singing. We can work on that."
Mikau groaned. "Aww, do we have to? I mean, breathing is breathing, isn't it?"
Lulu laughed at his irritation. "A musician that can't sing?" She teased. She let go of his arm so they can swim easier. "The proper breathing is pretty easy to learn. It's just hard to explain in words how to do it. I'll show you, but not here; I'll choke. Let's go quickly."
But quickly for Lulu was not that quick for Mikau. The Zorian Hero had to swim at a very leisurely pace so he doesn't overtake the female Zora. Lulu's large fins pulsed and sometimes flapped back powerfully for a quick burst of speed. When she did, she would sometimes brush Mikau with the edge of her fin. Mikau didn't mind the touch. He found it odd how her fins could be so soft and delicate, like the gentle caress of water. His own fins could become blades as strong as steel if need be, though they weren't contracted right now. Mikau tried to inch closer to Lulu but she moved upwards in search of an easier water current. The low tides today were causing much disturbance in the sea; Mikau and Lulu were almost at the water's surface before they found a favorable current.
The female dorms were located east of the university while the male dorms were to the southwest. Mikau usually has to squint his eyes when swimming back home but this time, the sun shone at his back, casting a long shadow in front of him. The sun setting so early...winter must be soon upon Hyrule. To his right, Mikau's sight stretched out as far as the oceans extended, while to the left, towering cliffs jutted upwards, up to the airside before tapering off. That would be the beginning of the mainland, the rolling plains of Hyrule field. But a little bit before that, the ocean floor took an abrupt dip, forming an underwater canyon known as the Chaotic Rim. It was basically a scar in the earth formed by volcanic activity of the past. The Chaotic Rim was known for its warmer seawater which was caused by still-active volcanic vents. Too uncomfortably warm for Zoras actually, but the heated water supports a variety of wildlife.
Now that he thought about it, Mikau recalled that Japas went to explore the Chaotic Rim today. He would have to ask Japas to show him around sometime; the two of them used to love exploring the coral caves around Zora Hall.
The women's dorms were much different than the men's dorms. For one, it was carved out of an actual island. It was sort of a natural dirt brown rather than the grey of granite that most Zora abodes are made out of. Mikau could even see grass and trees growing out of the airside portion of the building. The doors to individual apartments riddled the outside of the island like Swiss cheese. In contrast, the rooms in the men's dorms were connected to one of few tunnels which eventually leads into the heart of the building.
Zoras, almost all females, clustered together in their gossip groups, drifting along as if they didn't really care where they'll end up. And because there were no males around, many of the Hylian girls discarded the confinement of cloth against their skin. Mikau was tempted to take a second look at some of the more voluptuous ones, (who wouldn't?) but resisted the urge. There were waaaay too many females around and he was afraid of what might happen if he provoked one of them.
Lulu's room was well above the tideline, so she and Mikau had to walk up a spiral platform similar to those in the male dorms. Except these platforms had a coarse carpet of grass on them. It has been a long time since the Zorian Hero's had such rigid plantlife bend under his feet. It felt odd and he said so to Lulu.
"Oh, really?" She replied with a grin. "I take it you don't go to the mainland too often. Well, you should!" Lulu walked confidently forwards while Mikau stepped cautiously, wary of sharp objects that the grass might hide and what they can do to feet not supported by the water's bouyancy.
"I travel a lot with my mom and the Indigo-goes." Lulu started. "I've been to all the major cities, whether or not they're cities for Zoras. Here we are."
Lulu stopped abrubtly in front of a wooden door, making Mikau bump into her. Mikau acted fast and grabbed Lulu by her shoulders before she could fall. "Oh, geeze, I'm sorry!" The Zorian Hero cried.
Lulu only twisted her head sideways, looking at Mikau with one main eye and one vestigial eye. Their gazes held for a moment before Lulu smiled and straightened herself. "It's okay." She said and busied herself unlocking her dorm door. Mikau swallowed and entered after her. But when he did, the sight before him replaced his growing nervousness.
"AAAA!! Goddesses, make it stop! My eyes!" Mikau cried, covering his face with his hands.
"Oh, c'mon, it's not THAT bad, is it?" Lulu laughed, refering to the mess her dorm was in. She laughed at Mikau's exaggerated reaction. "You overgrown tadpole! I, unlike you, don't have time to waste over little things like keeping my dorm clean. Come in and have a seat while I tidy up a bit." The female Zora led Mikau to a chair by the hand. His other hand still covered his eyes, though he was peeking through the cracks. He waited patiently while Lulu threw away unfinished meals and put everything else into a pile in the bedroom. Mikau noticed that the bedroom has two bunks and concluded that Lulu has a roommate.
"Can I look now?" Mikau asked.
Lulu pushed the rest of her junk into the bedroom and shut the door. "Yes. And stand up."
Mikau did so and found Lulu standing very close in front of him. So close that he could feel her breath and the light wind made by the twitching of her fins. She sized him up from head to toe, making Mikau very self-conscious and nervous. What was she doing?
"Take a deep breath." Lulu commanded.
"Oh no." Mikau groaned. "Not more breathing exercises!"
"Yes! The sooner you get it right, the better." Lulu waved a finger in front of the Zorian Hero as if she was admonishing a child. "Now breathe!"
"Yes, Warden." Mikau muttered but began breathing deeply. Lulu watched the rise and fall of his chest for a while, expression unreadable save for an occational twitch of the lip or glint in the eye. Finally, she motioned for him to stop and sit. Mikau gratefully did so; he was dizzy from all that controled breathing.
Lulu shook her head. "That's all wrong. You breathe like a Goron bellows."
"Hey!"
"It's true. Although everyone knows that it's the lungs that take in air, it's wrong to think that your chest should expand when breathing in deeply. You don't want your chest to heave and you want your shoulders to move as little as possible." She demonstrated the incorrect breathing form by exaggerrating the lift of her shoulders and the rise...and fall of her chest.
"Mikau? Are you listening?" Lulu watched the Zorian Hero curiously. He had zoned out for a moment, staring straight ahead at her. "Mikau?" She repeated.
"Uh, what?" Mikau shook himself out of his funk. He suddenly turned an interesting shade of purple and coughed to cover it up. "I'm sorry. I, um, zoned out for a moment."
"You see? Breathing incorrectly makes you weak and you cough and stuff!" Lulu announced triumphantly. "Even humans, who are born to the air, have trouble if they breathe like that for too long. Now, let me show you the correct way. Here, put a hand on my stomach."
"O...okay." Mikau stammered. He placed a hesitant hand on the female Zora's bare midriff and felt her belly expand and relax. He noted that while she did so, neither Lulu's chest nor shoulders moved. Mikau also noticed how smooth and soft her pale-blue skin felt under his own darker, rougher hand. If he moved that hand a few inches up or down, his fingers would be under the folds of her clothes...
Mikau shook off that thought and swallowed hard. He wouldn't dare. He thought of what Lulu might think of him and what Evan might do. Yeah, Evan is still Lulu's boyfriend. Mikau resisted his temptations and tried to concentrate on what he came here to do.
Lulu stopped her controlled breathing and Mikau took his hand away. "Now we'll try to get you to do it." Lulu said. "But instead of standing up, I want you to lie down. And just breathe normally. You can feel your stomach move easier when your horizontal."
"Where did you learn all this stuff from?" Mikau asked as he found an empty spot on the soft carpet of moss.
"My Singing tutor. My mom used to send me to a bunch of Singing courses." Lulu said and sat down next to the Zorian Hero. "Put a hand on your stomach and breathe normally."
So Mikau was stuck lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling with a hand on his stomach. He tried to breathe normally as he was instructed to, but being concious of the air in his lungs made the act of breathing awkward. Lulu fiddled absently with an edge of her fin, staring ahead absently. "So Evan tells me you're from Sunrise sector of Zora Hall." She said, trying to make small talk. "I haven't been there in years; what's it like?"
Mikau frowned slightly. How was he supposed to concentrate on his breathing with Lulu talking to him in that sweet voice of hers? Not that he was complaining or anything. He shrugged. "What is there to say? It has less stores than the shopping district, it's cleaner than the Tail zone and the water is calmer than the Head Zone. It doesn't have actual buildings like the Sunset sector but it's houses are carved from the walls. It hasn't changed much in all my life's memory."
"I have a house in Sunset sector, but I don't usually live there. The Indigo-gos tour so much that I visit home a month out of a year or something."
"Yeah? Is it hard to move around so much?"
Lulu sighed. "I'm used to it. It's nice to see the world, but some stability would be nice too. Now that I'm in university and am semi- independant, I can finally sit my butt down for four years."
Mikau turned his head slightly to look at Lulu. "So, what do you plan to do after university?"
Lulu wringed her fin. She looked down at Mikau and found herself staring into his aqua-gem eyes. "I dunno. My mom wants me to take over her position in the Indigo-gos, but I don't really want to."
"But why not?! You'd be great! And don't you want to be famous?"
"But if I simply take over my mom's position, I'll just be known as 'the little Lulu' or something, y'know what I mean? I'll be in my mom's shadow. Besides, all the other band members will be older than me. I'd like to have a band that is completely new, one that I forge for myself." After her little speech, Lulu abruptly yawned.
Mikau found the yawn contagious and though he resisted, eventually gave in to the urge. Lulu suddenly pressed her hand on top of Mikau's hand on his belly, making the Zorian Hero jump slightly at the touch.
"Did you feel that?" Lulu asked a surprised Mikau. "When you yawned, you actually took a deep breath by expanding your stomach, not your lungs. It's natural. Yawning also helps singing because it gets you more air and raises your soft pallet. But we'll get to that some other day."
It dawned on Mikau that Lulu was making small talk before to take his mind off his breathing. And she was also able to con him into yawning. But Mikau's greatest realization at that moment was that he finally understood what Lulu and Mrs. Yvett ment by 'the proper breathing'. All of their suggestions and examples made sense now that he has experienced it for himself. He took a controlled breath from the stomach.
"You got it!" Lulu cried. She grabbed Mikau's hand and pulled him up. "That wasn't so hard, was it? Now try singing something."
Mikau beamed, giddy as a child at Lulu's praise. With the new technique he learned, he drew a breath and released a long, pure note. Then he sang a phrase. Lulu's eyes sparkled the whole time; happy that Mikau has now learned how to breathe properly, and also pleased with her own accomplishment in teaching him.
"So, how was that?" Mikau asked triumphantly.
Lulu tightened her lips and gave Mikau a sly, sidelong glance. "Better." She said. Mikau sagged a bit. "The hardest part of this type of breathing is remembering to use it all the time. You also need to work on the power of your notes and your posture. We can work on that next time."
Next time?? Before Mikau could say anything, Lulu pulled him to the door. "It's almost six. I don't want to make you late for dinner." She explained.
"Oh? What about your world-famous cooking I've heard about?" Mikau teased. He had been hoping to stay longer. Maybe it was the sound of her voice, maybe it was her perky charm and humor, but for some reason, Mikau really enjoys any time he spends in Lulu's company.
Lulu sighed. "My roommate offered to cook tonight and she didn't plan on having an extra guest. I guess it's clammed leftovers for you."
Mikau feigned dispair. "Ah, my so plight is known." He said as he walked outside.
Lulu stood in the doorway, smiling at Mikau's act. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mikau."
The Zorian Hero nodded and turned around, an inch away from the sheer drop into the ocean. "Farewell." He said. And with that, he backflipped off the cliff and disappeared into the velvet waters, leaving only a slight ripple in his wake.
End of Chapter 19
Yes, even musically talented people sometimes don't realize that they don't breathe correctly. It took me four years in choir to figure that out.
If anyone has noticed, I'm also working on another multi-chapter fanfic named Hatchling. No, it doesn't mean I've abandoned Ocean Eternal, but updates will be slower because of it. I'm also delaying the next chapter so I'll have time to play Wind Waker (when I get it) and maybe incorperate some elements from the game into my fanfic.
How high must the ocean be
For crash of water, make.
How nigh must the future be
For path of action, take.
Opening chords from the whale ivory piano echoed in the high ceilinged Singing classroom. The notes gradually slowed and paused, hesitating as if it's holding its breath, waiting...waiting... The singers anticipated this moment and itched to end the tension of music. They took a deep breath...
And suddenly Mrs. Yvett slammed her hand on the piano keys. The air that the students collected in their lungs came out in surprised cracking notes or hissing sighs rather than the singing notes they were supposed to produce. The students started talking among themselves in confusion, wondering what prompted their teacher to halt the song so abrubtly, so harshly. Mikau raised an eyeridge at Japas, who stood beside him. The thinner Zora shrugged back but the two of them shared no words. Lulu and Evan, on opposite ends of the benches, exchanged grimaces.
Mrs. Yvett, who still had one hand on the piano, put her other hand on her forehead as if he has a headache. She chewed her bottom lip in frustration. The Bottom-feeder whirled around to face her class, regarding them with one eye, then the other. But she quickly said in her usual cheerfulness, "Sorry about that. Let's try again."
Mrs. Yvett's fingers flew over the piano keys, again playing out the opening chords. Evan listened and watched the Bottom-feeder's playing with curiosity. Being a talented keyboarder himself, the eel-Zora critically analyzed Mrs. Yvett's skill with the piano. Her playing was decent, but lacked imagination. Sure, she got all the pianissimos, crescendos and fortissimos exactly where they're written to be, but Evan sensed her music lacked an element of emotion and personal imput.
Anyways, when the opening reached the part where the vocals came in, the students all took a deep breath. But once again, Mrs. Yvett slammed her hand on the piano keys, clearly distressed. The discordant piano notes grated in the ears of the listeners and the students again erupted in confused chatter. The teacher quickly recovered and gestured for slience.
"I knew it! I didn't see this before, but it seems that all of you have a really big problem with singing!" Mrs. Yvett seemed more frustrated with herself than with the students. Which was a relief, because no one knew what they did wrong and no one wants to see this sweet teacher angry at them. "Everyone try this: take a deep breath."
The students were still waiting for an explanation but obediently obliged. At the peak of their lung capacity, Mrs. Yvett yelled, "Stop! Hold your breaths!" Most of the Zoras froze with their chests expanded and some of them even had their cheeks puffed out in effort to keep the air in. A few of them, Japas included, found everyone else's expressions so hilarious that they lost their breath laughing.
"Aha! So this is the problem!" Mrs. Yvett proclaimed, picking up her conducting stick and waving it around. "I guess I didn't notice this before, but most of you don't even know how to breathe properly when singing! Let's see..." The Bottom-feeder paused, noting all the faces in the room that were beginning to turn purple. "Oh, by the way, you can exhale now." Everyone did so in relief.
"What is she talking about, Mikau?" Japas whispered to the Zorian Hero. "I know perfectly well how to breathe!" Mikau put a finger to his lips in sort of a 'shhh!' gesture. It intrigued him that something as natural as breathing could be done wrong.
"Everyone take a couple more deep breaths. Don't worry about holding it in this time." The students obeyed until Mrs. Yvett said, "You! Evan, correct? Come down here; you look like you know how to breathe properly. Why don't you demonstrate for everyone?" Evan went to the front of the room and breathed in and out. Mrs. Yvett poked Evan's stomach with her conducting stick. "Do you see that, everyone? When you breathe in, you want to extend your belly instead of your chest. It's the proper, natural way to breathe airside. You can hold more air in the stomach and your diaphragm has more power to push out with. Thank you, Evan, return to your spot. Now everyone else, keep breathing. I'll come around to check if you are doing it right."
As the Singing teacher squeezed herself between the students on the benches, she tried to correct their breathing with limited success. Mikau noted there were only four people which Mrs. Yvett credited with perfect breathing: Evan, Lulu and two other Zoras. When the teacher reached him, the Zorian Hero fully expected to be the fifth of the perfect breathers. After all, he's a talented musician, or so he's often told. (At least in guitar.) But when Mikau demonstrated his ability to breathe in, Mrs. Yvett only shook her head and frowned.
"Try this, dearie. Put a hand on your stomach and when you inhale, you should be able to feel your belly protrude outwards."
Mikau tried this, but all he could manage was to extend his belly while still breathing as he did before. It didn't feel natural. Mrs. Yvett knew this as well, but she has other students to attend to. "You should practice until you get it right, Mikau. Yes, I admit it's a strange concept to grasp, but you must learn how to breathe properly." The teacher moved on to the next student.
Mikau sighed and turned to his best friend. "Japas, do you get this whole breathing thing?"
Japas had his arms crossed and nose wrinkled distastefully. "This is stupid." He muttered. He was indignant at being told that his breathing was incorrect. "How can my breathing be wrong?! If I'm getting air into my lungs, then I'm doing it right! Especially since I was born airside. I was born with lungs before anyone else had them."
"Oh, quit griping. We'll get it sooner or later." Mikau said. And later it would probably be, for this whole class became devoted to just getting the breathing right. All one and half hours of class. By the time the bell rang, most of the students have become dizzy from hyperventilation. Mikau, Evan, Lulu and Japas walked out of the Arts building together, squinting in the early autumn sunset as they did so.
"Ah, I wish we could get on to the actual singing part of this Singing course." Lulu moaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She jumped off a ledge which was usually underwater, but the tides were unusually low today. Japas, Mikau and Evan followed suit, taking care not to land on each other as they splashed into the water. "Evan, where are you going?" Lulu asked, seeing the eel-Zora veer off to another direction.
Evan turned around and blinked. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. From now on, every other day after school, I'll be spending half an hour at a fighting course."
Lulu blinked, her expression unreadable. "But why??" She suddenly cried.
The eel-Zora was a little taken aback by her concern. "Well...for exercise, self-defence and because it's interesting to learn."
Now the girl looked annoyed. She put her hands against her hips and raised her chin, looking almost like a parody of Evan's usual pose. "It's always like this. You never tell me anything. You never have time to do anything because you always sign up for all these extra-curricular courses that you don't need."
Now it was Evan's turn to be annoyed. He copied Lulu's actions but somehow looked more assertive than her. "Don't be so selfish, Lulu. I can't be thinking of you all the time, can I?"
Lulu pouted, shifting into the very image of sadness. "But we hardly spend any time together..."
Evan swam close to Lulu and chuckled gently to reassure her. He placed a tender hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's not as if we're countries apart anymore. You'll be seeing me every day and trust me, you'll get sick of me soon enough."
His comment caused Lulu to laugh. She playfully pushed him away. "Fine! Go away, you fish! I'll have Mikau and Japas to keep me company." She turned to the two other Sleeks.
Mikau twitched at the mention of his name. He had been hoping to avoid notice for a while, at least until Evan and Lulu finished their delicate moment. He was embarrassed at having listened in on their conversation and he could feel it expressed as an increase of blood rising to his cheeks. He felt like an eavesdropper and a prude at the same time.
Japas bit his bottom lip. "Actually, some of the guys and I wanna hang out after school. Sorry." As if on cue, three other Zoras swam out from behind a building. One of them waved to Japas. Japas waved back and gave a shout. "That's them over there. See ya!" He flicked his tail and swam towards the other Zoras.
Once they were well out of earshot, Lulu tugged Mikau's arm. "Mikau, those are members of the CryBax gang, aren't they?" She asked anxiously. Mikau hesitated, then nodded his head. Lulu's lips tightened. "But why? I thought Japas is friends with you!"
Mikau looked at her with a pained expression on his face. "What does this have to do with me?" He asked.
"Well, you're his best friend, aren't you? And you don't want Japas involved in any gang, right?" Mikau nodded to both questions. Lulu tightened her grip on his arm. "Then you should do something!"
Mikau put a hand on his forehead and ran it down the length of his tail in a gesture of exaspiration. He sighed. "It's not as if I haven't tried. He's been lost for six years, remember? I don't know all that he's been through in that time or what kind of person he is now. Hey, as long as he doesn't have the CryBax tattoo on his arm, I'll be happy."
Mikau and Lulu watched as the shrinking specks that was Japas and the other three Zoras were joined by eight other people. Then they all suddenly veered off to the right, like a school of startled fish.
"Must be hard to see a friend like this." Lulu said quietly. There was a thoughtful silence between them for a second. Then Lulu abrubtly turned to Mikau and smiled, her long eyelashes flashing. "So, your place or mine?" She asked brightly, changing the topic.
"Huh?!" Mikau was shocked by Lulu's words. D...did she really mean what she said!? Mikau felt his face growing purple and sputtered for a response. "I um...uh s,wha...what? No, no!"
Lulu gave him an odd look. "Ooookay...Then do you have some other place to hang out? We can go to the mainland and go sightseeing but I'm afraid we'll get lost without someone who knows their way around."
"Huh? Oh! You just want to hang out!" Mikau coughed and recovered himself quickly. "I misheard you before. Um, I don't think we should go to my dorm because Tijo has more academic courses than us this semester. I don't think he wants to be disturbed all the time."
"Okay! Then my place it is!" Lulu declared cheerfully. She still had her hand on Mikau's arm, which she used to pull the Zorian Hero forward. "I noticed that you need some work on your breathing for singing. We can work on that."
Mikau groaned. "Aww, do we have to? I mean, breathing is breathing, isn't it?"
Lulu laughed at his irritation. "A musician that can't sing?" She teased. She let go of his arm so they can swim easier. "The proper breathing is pretty easy to learn. It's just hard to explain in words how to do it. I'll show you, but not here; I'll choke. Let's go quickly."
But quickly for Lulu was not that quick for Mikau. The Zorian Hero had to swim at a very leisurely pace so he doesn't overtake the female Zora. Lulu's large fins pulsed and sometimes flapped back powerfully for a quick burst of speed. When she did, she would sometimes brush Mikau with the edge of her fin. Mikau didn't mind the touch. He found it odd how her fins could be so soft and delicate, like the gentle caress of water. His own fins could become blades as strong as steel if need be, though they weren't contracted right now. Mikau tried to inch closer to Lulu but she moved upwards in search of an easier water current. The low tides today were causing much disturbance in the sea; Mikau and Lulu were almost at the water's surface before they found a favorable current.
The female dorms were located east of the university while the male dorms were to the southwest. Mikau usually has to squint his eyes when swimming back home but this time, the sun shone at his back, casting a long shadow in front of him. The sun setting so early...winter must be soon upon Hyrule. To his right, Mikau's sight stretched out as far as the oceans extended, while to the left, towering cliffs jutted upwards, up to the airside before tapering off. That would be the beginning of the mainland, the rolling plains of Hyrule field. But a little bit before that, the ocean floor took an abrupt dip, forming an underwater canyon known as the Chaotic Rim. It was basically a scar in the earth formed by volcanic activity of the past. The Chaotic Rim was known for its warmer seawater which was caused by still-active volcanic vents. Too uncomfortably warm for Zoras actually, but the heated water supports a variety of wildlife.
Now that he thought about it, Mikau recalled that Japas went to explore the Chaotic Rim today. He would have to ask Japas to show him around sometime; the two of them used to love exploring the coral caves around Zora Hall.
The women's dorms were much different than the men's dorms. For one, it was carved out of an actual island. It was sort of a natural dirt brown rather than the grey of granite that most Zora abodes are made out of. Mikau could even see grass and trees growing out of the airside portion of the building. The doors to individual apartments riddled the outside of the island like Swiss cheese. In contrast, the rooms in the men's dorms were connected to one of few tunnels which eventually leads into the heart of the building.
Zoras, almost all females, clustered together in their gossip groups, drifting along as if they didn't really care where they'll end up. And because there were no males around, many of the Hylian girls discarded the confinement of cloth against their skin. Mikau was tempted to take a second look at some of the more voluptuous ones, (who wouldn't?) but resisted the urge. There were waaaay too many females around and he was afraid of what might happen if he provoked one of them.
Lulu's room was well above the tideline, so she and Mikau had to walk up a spiral platform similar to those in the male dorms. Except these platforms had a coarse carpet of grass on them. It has been a long time since the Zorian Hero's had such rigid plantlife bend under his feet. It felt odd and he said so to Lulu.
"Oh, really?" She replied with a grin. "I take it you don't go to the mainland too often. Well, you should!" Lulu walked confidently forwards while Mikau stepped cautiously, wary of sharp objects that the grass might hide and what they can do to feet not supported by the water's bouyancy.
"I travel a lot with my mom and the Indigo-goes." Lulu started. "I've been to all the major cities, whether or not they're cities for Zoras. Here we are."
Lulu stopped abrubtly in front of a wooden door, making Mikau bump into her. Mikau acted fast and grabbed Lulu by her shoulders before she could fall. "Oh, geeze, I'm sorry!" The Zorian Hero cried.
Lulu only twisted her head sideways, looking at Mikau with one main eye and one vestigial eye. Their gazes held for a moment before Lulu smiled and straightened herself. "It's okay." She said and busied herself unlocking her dorm door. Mikau swallowed and entered after her. But when he did, the sight before him replaced his growing nervousness.
"AAAA!! Goddesses, make it stop! My eyes!" Mikau cried, covering his face with his hands.
"Oh, c'mon, it's not THAT bad, is it?" Lulu laughed, refering to the mess her dorm was in. She laughed at Mikau's exaggerated reaction. "You overgrown tadpole! I, unlike you, don't have time to waste over little things like keeping my dorm clean. Come in and have a seat while I tidy up a bit." The female Zora led Mikau to a chair by the hand. His other hand still covered his eyes, though he was peeking through the cracks. He waited patiently while Lulu threw away unfinished meals and put everything else into a pile in the bedroom. Mikau noticed that the bedroom has two bunks and concluded that Lulu has a roommate.
"Can I look now?" Mikau asked.
Lulu pushed the rest of her junk into the bedroom and shut the door. "Yes. And stand up."
Mikau did so and found Lulu standing very close in front of him. So close that he could feel her breath and the light wind made by the twitching of her fins. She sized him up from head to toe, making Mikau very self-conscious and nervous. What was she doing?
"Take a deep breath." Lulu commanded.
"Oh no." Mikau groaned. "Not more breathing exercises!"
"Yes! The sooner you get it right, the better." Lulu waved a finger in front of the Zorian Hero as if she was admonishing a child. "Now breathe!"
"Yes, Warden." Mikau muttered but began breathing deeply. Lulu watched the rise and fall of his chest for a while, expression unreadable save for an occational twitch of the lip or glint in the eye. Finally, she motioned for him to stop and sit. Mikau gratefully did so; he was dizzy from all that controled breathing.
Lulu shook her head. "That's all wrong. You breathe like a Goron bellows."
"Hey!"
"It's true. Although everyone knows that it's the lungs that take in air, it's wrong to think that your chest should expand when breathing in deeply. You don't want your chest to heave and you want your shoulders to move as little as possible." She demonstrated the incorrect breathing form by exaggerrating the lift of her shoulders and the rise...and fall of her chest.
"Mikau? Are you listening?" Lulu watched the Zorian Hero curiously. He had zoned out for a moment, staring straight ahead at her. "Mikau?" She repeated.
"Uh, what?" Mikau shook himself out of his funk. He suddenly turned an interesting shade of purple and coughed to cover it up. "I'm sorry. I, um, zoned out for a moment."
"You see? Breathing incorrectly makes you weak and you cough and stuff!" Lulu announced triumphantly. "Even humans, who are born to the air, have trouble if they breathe like that for too long. Now, let me show you the correct way. Here, put a hand on my stomach."
"O...okay." Mikau stammered. He placed a hesitant hand on the female Zora's bare midriff and felt her belly expand and relax. He noted that while she did so, neither Lulu's chest nor shoulders moved. Mikau also noticed how smooth and soft her pale-blue skin felt under his own darker, rougher hand. If he moved that hand a few inches up or down, his fingers would be under the folds of her clothes...
Mikau shook off that thought and swallowed hard. He wouldn't dare. He thought of what Lulu might think of him and what Evan might do. Yeah, Evan is still Lulu's boyfriend. Mikau resisted his temptations and tried to concentrate on what he came here to do.
Lulu stopped her controlled breathing and Mikau took his hand away. "Now we'll try to get you to do it." Lulu said. "But instead of standing up, I want you to lie down. And just breathe normally. You can feel your stomach move easier when your horizontal."
"Where did you learn all this stuff from?" Mikau asked as he found an empty spot on the soft carpet of moss.
"My Singing tutor. My mom used to send me to a bunch of Singing courses." Lulu said and sat down next to the Zorian Hero. "Put a hand on your stomach and breathe normally."
So Mikau was stuck lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling with a hand on his stomach. He tried to breathe normally as he was instructed to, but being concious of the air in his lungs made the act of breathing awkward. Lulu fiddled absently with an edge of her fin, staring ahead absently. "So Evan tells me you're from Sunrise sector of Zora Hall." She said, trying to make small talk. "I haven't been there in years; what's it like?"
Mikau frowned slightly. How was he supposed to concentrate on his breathing with Lulu talking to him in that sweet voice of hers? Not that he was complaining or anything. He shrugged. "What is there to say? It has less stores than the shopping district, it's cleaner than the Tail zone and the water is calmer than the Head Zone. It doesn't have actual buildings like the Sunset sector but it's houses are carved from the walls. It hasn't changed much in all my life's memory."
"I have a house in Sunset sector, but I don't usually live there. The Indigo-gos tour so much that I visit home a month out of a year or something."
"Yeah? Is it hard to move around so much?"
Lulu sighed. "I'm used to it. It's nice to see the world, but some stability would be nice too. Now that I'm in university and am semi- independant, I can finally sit my butt down for four years."
Mikau turned his head slightly to look at Lulu. "So, what do you plan to do after university?"
Lulu wringed her fin. She looked down at Mikau and found herself staring into his aqua-gem eyes. "I dunno. My mom wants me to take over her position in the Indigo-gos, but I don't really want to."
"But why not?! You'd be great! And don't you want to be famous?"
"But if I simply take over my mom's position, I'll just be known as 'the little Lulu' or something, y'know what I mean? I'll be in my mom's shadow. Besides, all the other band members will be older than me. I'd like to have a band that is completely new, one that I forge for myself." After her little speech, Lulu abruptly yawned.
Mikau found the yawn contagious and though he resisted, eventually gave in to the urge. Lulu suddenly pressed her hand on top of Mikau's hand on his belly, making the Zorian Hero jump slightly at the touch.
"Did you feel that?" Lulu asked a surprised Mikau. "When you yawned, you actually took a deep breath by expanding your stomach, not your lungs. It's natural. Yawning also helps singing because it gets you more air and raises your soft pallet. But we'll get to that some other day."
It dawned on Mikau that Lulu was making small talk before to take his mind off his breathing. And she was also able to con him into yawning. But Mikau's greatest realization at that moment was that he finally understood what Lulu and Mrs. Yvett ment by 'the proper breathing'. All of their suggestions and examples made sense now that he has experienced it for himself. He took a controlled breath from the stomach.
"You got it!" Lulu cried. She grabbed Mikau's hand and pulled him up. "That wasn't so hard, was it? Now try singing something."
Mikau beamed, giddy as a child at Lulu's praise. With the new technique he learned, he drew a breath and released a long, pure note. Then he sang a phrase. Lulu's eyes sparkled the whole time; happy that Mikau has now learned how to breathe properly, and also pleased with her own accomplishment in teaching him.
"So, how was that?" Mikau asked triumphantly.
Lulu tightened her lips and gave Mikau a sly, sidelong glance. "Better." She said. Mikau sagged a bit. "The hardest part of this type of breathing is remembering to use it all the time. You also need to work on the power of your notes and your posture. We can work on that next time."
Next time?? Before Mikau could say anything, Lulu pulled him to the door. "It's almost six. I don't want to make you late for dinner." She explained.
"Oh? What about your world-famous cooking I've heard about?" Mikau teased. He had been hoping to stay longer. Maybe it was the sound of her voice, maybe it was her perky charm and humor, but for some reason, Mikau really enjoys any time he spends in Lulu's company.
Lulu sighed. "My roommate offered to cook tonight and she didn't plan on having an extra guest. I guess it's clammed leftovers for you."
Mikau feigned dispair. "Ah, my so plight is known." He said as he walked outside.
Lulu stood in the doorway, smiling at Mikau's act. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mikau."
The Zorian Hero nodded and turned around, an inch away from the sheer drop into the ocean. "Farewell." He said. And with that, he backflipped off the cliff and disappeared into the velvet waters, leaving only a slight ripple in his wake.
End of Chapter 19
Yes, even musically talented people sometimes don't realize that they don't breathe correctly. It took me four years in choir to figure that out.
If anyone has noticed, I'm also working on another multi-chapter fanfic named Hatchling. No, it doesn't mean I've abandoned Ocean Eternal, but updates will be slower because of it. I'm also delaying the next chapter so I'll have time to play Wind Waker (when I get it) and maybe incorperate some elements from the game into my fanfic.