Disclaimer: I don't own Finding Nemo. Uh, durr. XD
~.~.~
Niro wo Motomete
Chapter 2: Gone
Just as enthusiastic as ever, Mr. Raymond's singing continued as the gray van drove down the road to the beach. "Ooh, let's name the species, the species, the species, let's name the species that live in the sea!" sang the scientist.
Niro gazed out the window and watched the sparkly blue blanket of water flying past. "Cool..."
"There's porifera, coelenterata, hydrozoa, scyphozoa, anthozoa, ctenophora,
bryozoas, three! Gastropoda, arthropoda, echinoderma, and some fish like you and me. Come on, sing with me. Oh...!"
Niro saw tiny sailboats off in the distance, and beachgoers playing on the sand. The beach was dotted with colorful umbrellas and towels, occupied by tanning men and women, and laughing children. Mr. Raymond continued to drive, looking for a suitable spot to explore.
"Just the girls this time. Oh, seaweed is cool. Seaweed is fun. It makes it's food with the rays of the sun..."
After a while, they reached a stretch of sand that was unoccupied. The area was small, and surrounded by vegetation and tall beach grass. Mr. Raymond parked his van on the sand, and opened the doors.
"Okay, the drop-off. All right, kids, feel free to explore, but stay close." Suddenly, Mr. Raymond spotted a tide pool and gasped. "Stromalitic cyanobacteria! Gather." The class gathered around the tide pool to view a tiny glowing speck in the water. "An entire ecosystem contained in one infinitesimal speck," Mr. Raymond said, "There are as many protein pairs contained in this..."
Niro stood listening to the scientific explanation, his three friends behind him. Ted, the obnoxious blonde boy, rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, let's go."
Niro turned to see Ted, Pearle, and Sheridan sneaking off past the bushes, and began to follow them as Mr. Raymond began singing again in the background. "Come on, sing with me! There's porifera, coelentera, hydrozoa, scyphozoa, anthozoa, ctenophora, bryozoas, three!"
"Hey guys, wait up!" Niro called, following the path his friends had taken. Suddenly, he stopped. "Whoa."
He was standing in front of a three-foot-high fence, looking out at a vast network of dark, empty, looming buildings. This was the outskirts of the place his father feared the most: the city. Terrifyingly quiet, the only sign of life in the shadowy concrete emptiness was a large truck parked not more than a hundred yards away.
The four kids gaped at the sight, leaning onto the fence to get a better look. No one made a sound. Suddenly, Ted grabbed Pearle by the shoulders and pulled her away from the fence. "Saved your life!" he yelled.
Pearle screamed, and a wet spot appeared down the front of her shorts. "Aww, you guys made me make..."
Ted and Sheridan laughed hysterically, and then resumed looking out at the city. After a moment, Sheridan climbed over the fence and took a few steps before turning to face his friends. "Ooh, look at me! I'm gonna' go touch the truck!" Just then, a sneeze sent Sheridan toppling backwards. "Whoa!"
Again, the three other kids giggled hysterically. Sheridan put his hands on his hips. "Oh yeah? Well let's see you get closer!"
Pearled smirked. "Okay." She climbed over the fence and took a few steps past Sheridan. "Beat that!" she said proudly.
Then Ted climbed over, and took a few steps past Pearle. "Come on, Niro! How far can you go?" he called out to the orange-haired boy.
Niro looked away shyly. "Oh, um... my dad says it's not safe..."
As if on cue, Marion appeared from behind the bushes. "Niro! No!" He grabbed his son and pulled him away from the fence.
"Dad!?" Niro exclaimed.
"You were about to go into the city!"
"No, I wasn't gonna go out there. But dad, no..." Niro said defensively.
Ted, Pearle, and Sheridan scrambled back over the fence and rushed to Niro's side. "No, sir, he wasn't gonna go out there!" Sheridan said.
"Yeah," Ted added, "He was too afraid!"
Niro turned to Ted. "No I wasn't!"
Marion looked around at Niro's three friends. "This does not concern you kids! And you're lucky I don't tell your parents you were out there!" he turned back to his son. "You know you have a handicap!"
"It's fine, dad, okay!?" Niro said, his defensiveness turning to anger.
Mr. Raymond, who'd been drawn over by all the commotion, poked his head out from behind the bushes, along with the rest of his class.
In the background, Marion could be heard countering, "No, it's not okay! You shouldn't be anywhere near here!" He sighed, and took his son by the wrist. "You know what? I was right. We'll start school in a year or two."
Niro ripped his arm out of his father's grip. "No, dad! Just because you're scared of the city..."
"Clearly you're not ready, and you're not coming back until you are," Marion said flatly, "You think you can do these things but you just can't, Niro!"
Niro looked away angrily and said softly, "I hate you."
It felt like a slap to the face. Marion took a step backward, his face showing nothing but pure hurt.
In an effort to break the silence, Mr. Raymond sung, "Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's nothing to see." He pointed his class in a different direction and said, "Gather! Uh, over there!" The scientist then walked over to Marion. "Excuse me, uh, is there anything I can do to help? I am a scientist, sir, is there any problem?"
"I'm really sorry for interrupting things," Marion explained, "It's just that he has a handicap and I just think It's a little too soon for him to be out here unsupervised."
Niro scowled, and glanced over at the truck in the distance.
"Well, I can assure you he's quite safe with me," Mr. Raymond said.
"No, I'm sure he is! It's just that you have a large class, and he could get lost, you know, from sight if you're not looking. Now, I'm not saying you're not looking, it's just..."
A short bucktoothed girl with blue hair and large thick coke-bottle glasses glanced of to the side and gasped and pointed. "Oh my gosh! Niro's going into the city!"
Marion whirled. Niro had jumped the fence, and was headed straight for the white truck. "Niro!" Marion yelled. "What do you think you're doing!?"
Niro ignored him.
"You're gonna get stuck out there and I'm gonna have to get you before someone else does!" Marion continued, "Get back here! I said get back here now!"
Niro still didn't listen.
"STOP!" Marion bellowed. Now Niro was standing right next to the white truck. He turned around and looked back at his dad in the distance. "If you take one more move mister," Marion threatened.
Niro lifted his left hand and let it hover a few inches from the hood of the truck.
"Do... don't you dare!" Marion yelled, "If you put one finger on that truck... are you listening to me!? Don't touch the..."
Niro slapped his hand down on the hood of the truck.
"Niro!"
Ted whispered to Sheridan and Pearle. "He touched the truck!"
Without saying a word, Niro started walking back to the fence. "You just march your little butt back over here," Marion yelled, "That's right. You are in big trouble, young man! Do you hear me? Big..." Marion trailed off. His face went pale.
Someone was behind Niro.
Niro turned to look behind him and screamed. "Aah! Daddy! Help me!" Niro started to run, but the man behind him grabbed him by the wrist.
"I'm coming Niro!" Marion yelled. He had one foot over the fence when a second man appeared, right in front of him.
Pearle screamed. "Get in the van, kids!" Mr. Raymond yelled.
"Daddy!" Niro screamed, but the first man clamped his hand over the boy's mouth.
"Niro!" Marion tried to get around the man in front of him, but he was grabbed by the shirt and thrown back over the fence. Rubbing his head, he looked up just in time to see the two men getting into the truck and driving off with his son. "Niro, no!" Marion leapt over the fence and chased after the truck as fast as he could.
As the truck zoomed down the empty streets further into the city, a pot hole caught the tire. The vehicle rocked violently and the trunk snapped open, sending a green camouflage jacket flying to the ground. The garment slid across the pavement before coming to a stop in the bluish shadows.
~.~.~
Niro wo Motomete
Chapter 2: Gone
Just as enthusiastic as ever, Mr. Raymond's singing continued as the gray van drove down the road to the beach. "Ooh, let's name the species, the species, the species, let's name the species that live in the sea!" sang the scientist.
Niro gazed out the window and watched the sparkly blue blanket of water flying past. "Cool..."
"There's porifera, coelenterata, hydrozoa, scyphozoa, anthozoa, ctenophora,
bryozoas, three! Gastropoda, arthropoda, echinoderma, and some fish like you and me. Come on, sing with me. Oh...!"
Niro saw tiny sailboats off in the distance, and beachgoers playing on the sand. The beach was dotted with colorful umbrellas and towels, occupied by tanning men and women, and laughing children. Mr. Raymond continued to drive, looking for a suitable spot to explore.
"Just the girls this time. Oh, seaweed is cool. Seaweed is fun. It makes it's food with the rays of the sun..."
After a while, they reached a stretch of sand that was unoccupied. The area was small, and surrounded by vegetation and tall beach grass. Mr. Raymond parked his van on the sand, and opened the doors.
"Okay, the drop-off. All right, kids, feel free to explore, but stay close." Suddenly, Mr. Raymond spotted a tide pool and gasped. "Stromalitic cyanobacteria! Gather." The class gathered around the tide pool to view a tiny glowing speck in the water. "An entire ecosystem contained in one infinitesimal speck," Mr. Raymond said, "There are as many protein pairs contained in this..."
Niro stood listening to the scientific explanation, his three friends behind him. Ted, the obnoxious blonde boy, rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, let's go."
Niro turned to see Ted, Pearle, and Sheridan sneaking off past the bushes, and began to follow them as Mr. Raymond began singing again in the background. "Come on, sing with me! There's porifera, coelentera, hydrozoa, scyphozoa, anthozoa, ctenophora, bryozoas, three!"
"Hey guys, wait up!" Niro called, following the path his friends had taken. Suddenly, he stopped. "Whoa."
He was standing in front of a three-foot-high fence, looking out at a vast network of dark, empty, looming buildings. This was the outskirts of the place his father feared the most: the city. Terrifyingly quiet, the only sign of life in the shadowy concrete emptiness was a large truck parked not more than a hundred yards away.
The four kids gaped at the sight, leaning onto the fence to get a better look. No one made a sound. Suddenly, Ted grabbed Pearle by the shoulders and pulled her away from the fence. "Saved your life!" he yelled.
Pearle screamed, and a wet spot appeared down the front of her shorts. "Aww, you guys made me make..."
Ted and Sheridan laughed hysterically, and then resumed looking out at the city. After a moment, Sheridan climbed over the fence and took a few steps before turning to face his friends. "Ooh, look at me! I'm gonna' go touch the truck!" Just then, a sneeze sent Sheridan toppling backwards. "Whoa!"
Again, the three other kids giggled hysterically. Sheridan put his hands on his hips. "Oh yeah? Well let's see you get closer!"
Pearled smirked. "Okay." She climbed over the fence and took a few steps past Sheridan. "Beat that!" she said proudly.
Then Ted climbed over, and took a few steps past Pearle. "Come on, Niro! How far can you go?" he called out to the orange-haired boy.
Niro looked away shyly. "Oh, um... my dad says it's not safe..."
As if on cue, Marion appeared from behind the bushes. "Niro! No!" He grabbed his son and pulled him away from the fence.
"Dad!?" Niro exclaimed.
"You were about to go into the city!"
"No, I wasn't gonna go out there. But dad, no..." Niro said defensively.
Ted, Pearle, and Sheridan scrambled back over the fence and rushed to Niro's side. "No, sir, he wasn't gonna go out there!" Sheridan said.
"Yeah," Ted added, "He was too afraid!"
Niro turned to Ted. "No I wasn't!"
Marion looked around at Niro's three friends. "This does not concern you kids! And you're lucky I don't tell your parents you were out there!" he turned back to his son. "You know you have a handicap!"
"It's fine, dad, okay!?" Niro said, his defensiveness turning to anger.
Mr. Raymond, who'd been drawn over by all the commotion, poked his head out from behind the bushes, along with the rest of his class.
In the background, Marion could be heard countering, "No, it's not okay! You shouldn't be anywhere near here!" He sighed, and took his son by the wrist. "You know what? I was right. We'll start school in a year or two."
Niro ripped his arm out of his father's grip. "No, dad! Just because you're scared of the city..."
"Clearly you're not ready, and you're not coming back until you are," Marion said flatly, "You think you can do these things but you just can't, Niro!"
Niro looked away angrily and said softly, "I hate you."
It felt like a slap to the face. Marion took a step backward, his face showing nothing but pure hurt.
In an effort to break the silence, Mr. Raymond sung, "Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's nothing to see." He pointed his class in a different direction and said, "Gather! Uh, over there!" The scientist then walked over to Marion. "Excuse me, uh, is there anything I can do to help? I am a scientist, sir, is there any problem?"
"I'm really sorry for interrupting things," Marion explained, "It's just that he has a handicap and I just think It's a little too soon for him to be out here unsupervised."
Niro scowled, and glanced over at the truck in the distance.
"Well, I can assure you he's quite safe with me," Mr. Raymond said.
"No, I'm sure he is! It's just that you have a large class, and he could get lost, you know, from sight if you're not looking. Now, I'm not saying you're not looking, it's just..."
A short bucktoothed girl with blue hair and large thick coke-bottle glasses glanced of to the side and gasped and pointed. "Oh my gosh! Niro's going into the city!"
Marion whirled. Niro had jumped the fence, and was headed straight for the white truck. "Niro!" Marion yelled. "What do you think you're doing!?"
Niro ignored him.
"You're gonna get stuck out there and I'm gonna have to get you before someone else does!" Marion continued, "Get back here! I said get back here now!"
Niro still didn't listen.
"STOP!" Marion bellowed. Now Niro was standing right next to the white truck. He turned around and looked back at his dad in the distance. "If you take one more move mister," Marion threatened.
Niro lifted his left hand and let it hover a few inches from the hood of the truck.
"Do... don't you dare!" Marion yelled, "If you put one finger on that truck... are you listening to me!? Don't touch the..."
Niro slapped his hand down on the hood of the truck.
"Niro!"
Ted whispered to Sheridan and Pearle. "He touched the truck!"
Without saying a word, Niro started walking back to the fence. "You just march your little butt back over here," Marion yelled, "That's right. You are in big trouble, young man! Do you hear me? Big..." Marion trailed off. His face went pale.
Someone was behind Niro.
Niro turned to look behind him and screamed. "Aah! Daddy! Help me!" Niro started to run, but the man behind him grabbed him by the wrist.
"I'm coming Niro!" Marion yelled. He had one foot over the fence when a second man appeared, right in front of him.
Pearle screamed. "Get in the van, kids!" Mr. Raymond yelled.
"Daddy!" Niro screamed, but the first man clamped his hand over the boy's mouth.
"Niro!" Marion tried to get around the man in front of him, but he was grabbed by the shirt and thrown back over the fence. Rubbing his head, he looked up just in time to see the two men getting into the truck and driving off with his son. "Niro, no!" Marion leapt over the fence and chased after the truck as fast as he could.
As the truck zoomed down the empty streets further into the city, a pot hole caught the tire. The vehicle rocked violently and the trunk snapped open, sending a green camouflage jacket flying to the ground. The garment slid across the pavement before coming to a stop in the bluish shadows.