Sheesh, it took me so long to write this. I actually thought of the idea when I went to sleep last night; that's how long it took me. It only took me a few minutes to write. Anyway, let's do the review replies:
WindGoddess Rune: Thanks... Unless, you meant "that's really sad" in a negative way. In that case, I'm sorry. This chapter isn't as sad as the last one, but still not as happy as the first one; it's somewhere in between. Hope you like it, though.
SoujaGirl: Hey, you changed your pen name! I'm used to your other one, but this one's okay. :) I'm glad you liked it. I saw your new poll; I'm not really sure, but could this be a hint at an upcoming update? ;)
Prince of Tennis' Shaman: Yeah, I know... Really? I'll have to be more careful about how I write the chapters for Blue Dragon Beyond. *insert sweat drop here* This idea came to me all of a sudden last night, but I am thinking about having an interaction between Kluke and Jiro about Shu (thanks for the hint). It will probably be next chapter, but it will likely be shorter than my usual chapter size. Thinking about it, I might do a parallel interaction between Shu and Zola about Kluke... Thank you for giving me that little plot idea. No, I don't have a livejournal account, and I wasn't planning to. Besides a YouTube account, becoming a member at this site was the biggest online thing I'd ever done. There is a Blue Dragon forum that opened though, and I'm considering joining it. But if you have an account or know someone that does, feel free to give them the link to my profile/stories.
Okay there are the replies. Oh, and the title is based on the infamous Blue Dragon song by Nobuo Uematsu. I guess we'll get down to the story now...
Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own. Blue. Dragon.
Note: Shu and Kluke are nine in this story; it takes place almost exactly a year before the first episode of the anime.
Note #2: Tsubasa, Taichi and Hibiki are the three friends that are seen with Shu in Talta. From smallest to biggest, they are Hibiki, Tsubasa and Taichi.
3. Waterside
"Come on, Shu! You're never going to win like that!"
He had been training. Day after day, morning to night, he had trained.
Everyone thought it was strange. He had always liked water, but... After almost drowning, why would someone want to compete in a swimming race? No one supported him.
No one except her.
"Faster! Kick your legs out!"
Sometimes her "cheering" bothered him. But she was the only one who would, so he didn't mind that much.
Tsubasa, Taichi and Hibiki weren't against him at least; they were just worried. He didn't like pity, but it would hurt worse if they hated him, too. Fushira didn't hate him, either, but he did disapprove.
"If I was in this competition, I'd be swimming circles around you!"
When it came to this, she preferred the "tough love" approach. Her opinion was that if he wanted to do this so badly, then he needed to be motivated properly.
"Stop being so lazy and work for a change!"
She couldn't have liked him doing it. Ever since the incident, she'd been terrified of him doing so much as taking a bath. So the fact that she would help him meant the world to him.
"Aniki, should you really do this?" Hibiki was clinging to Tsubasa, his voice shaky.
"Yeah."
"But why?"
"I need to."
"He'll be fine," Kluke intervened. She turned to Shu. "You should get to the river's edge. Everyone's starting to line up."
He nodded. "Okay." He turned to go. "... And Kluke?"
"Yes?"
"...Thank you."
She smiled. "No problem."
He sighed, trying to let his whole body relax. He let himself experience all of his senses.
His mouth tasted dry. He could smell the plants and soil; the smell of the earth. He could hear birds, far off in the forest. He could feel the grass underneath his bare feet, warm from the sun. He could see the water ahead of him, a friend and an enemy.
From the time he was small, his mother had taught him that the water was not something to be feared; most of his body was made of water anyway, so there was no reason to be afraid of it.
Once he was big enough, he had started swimming, and he'd never stopped; the water had become part of his soul.
And then... there had been the incident. It could never take away the bond he had with water, but he hadn't gone into it until now. The incident... it had been such a shock.
But he wasn't going to let that stop him now.
To his left and his right, there were kids lined up going down the bank. Most were from Talta, but there were some foreigners who had come just for the race.
He untied his waistcloth, then carefully wrapped the sash around his forehead, feeling the fabric tickle his bare back; whenever his grandfather had a particularly difficult project to work on, he would do this with his own waistcloth. It was almost like a tradition.
"On your marks..."
He set his feet.
"...get set..."
He touched down on the ground.
"...go!"
He leapt into the water, his form more perfect then any child in the lines to his sides.
"Do your best, Shu!"
He could hear her voice, loud and true. He was spurred on, knowing that someone believed him.
He had been training. For a long time, he had trained long and hard. And she'd been with him each step of the way.
Okay, there's the third oneshot. Again, sorry it took me so long. By the way, Shu won the race. Though you can pretend he didn't if you prefer it that way. ;) Anyway, I'll probably write about the "incident" at a later time; the incident takes place about two months before the first oneshot, Eve of the Harvest. Oh, and if you review, please tell me if I should move this story and Troubles on White Day to the Anime category for Blue Dragon. I'm going to put this note in the next chapter of Troubles on White Day, too. Please tell me, because I'm not sure what to do about that. Anyway, I hope you liked it. As long as I don't get any more writers' block, the next oneshot should be up fairly soon after this one gets 10 hits. See you then!