...Water...
...Warmth...
...Floating...
...Quiet...
...The Depths...
...Home...
...Was This...
...The Ocean?...
Slowly, a slumbering mind returned to itself. Its senses were restored. It could feel the world around it. Yet, its eyelids were still heavy, enveloping their vision in darkness.
Their body felt so tired. Not even a toe or finger could be moved. Despite this, they were floating. They also knew for sure that they were in a body of water.
The mind continued its battle with the eyes. Open, damn you! The return of sight was the most important of everything that needed to work now! What was going on? Where were they? They needed to know!
"The patient...We'll continue to monitor...Waking soon enough...Inform Genus and...To know..."
A voice! It was breaking up here and there, but the state of their hearing undoubtedly caused that. However, there was also an odd muffled quality to it. Were they speaking through a wall? No, something thinner. But what?
Damn it, eyes! Open! OPEN! OPEN!
"OPEN!"
Another voice. THEIR voice. It accompanied the sudden burst of light that cast away the darkness. Yet, similar to the other voice, it was muffled. Thankfully, the cause for why would be quickly apparent.
Looking down at themselves and their surroundings, they made several startling discoveries. First, they were in a body of water, but it was inside a container. Second, a strange mask was attached to their face with a strap around the back of their head. Third, their body was...it was...
"I'm...better?..." They asked as they examined themselves. No bruises. No injuries. No blood. No pain.
Then, as they looked over their body, they realized something. They could see out of BOTH eyes. The one that had been savagely beaten was back! They had their full vision!
However, now was not the time to celebrate. As they looked past their fully-healed hands, they saw people standing on the other side of the container. Weirder yet, they were all the same person!
"Easy, now..." The one at the front of the group spoke. His volume was low, and his tone was passive. Were...they the ones who saved them? "...Good. It seems I have your attention, and you're not panicking." The man said with a smile before continuing. "I know this is confusing. This isn't where you remember being last. You were brought here so we could treat your injuries." He informed them.
"...M...M...M..." They struggled to get a word out. Their throat suddenly felt strained and tired like everything else.
"Your voice is still recovering, like the rest of you. It's admittedly impressive you were able to say anything. But you shouldn't try more for right now." The man told them. "I promise, though, that you'll only be in there for a few minutes longer. Ten at most, followed by five for a checkup to ensure everything is back to normal." He stated.
Normally, in a dangerous scenario, their instincts would be sending off signals. But now, said signals were silent. No alarms at all. Was this situation truly safe? Could they relax?
Considering that their injuries were healed and their mangled eye was restored, it'd be weird if these identical people ultimately wanted to harm them. So, they let their body relax. They focused on the warm water around them. They allowed themselves to slip back into a slumber...
...
...
Tap Tap
Awoken by a gentle noise, they re-opened their eyes. The men that had been outside the container the last time were gone. In their place, a single individual. It was another human male, but he wasn't identical to the others. If anything, he was rather simple-looking.
"Oh. Awesome. They were right. You're okay." The man said with a small smile. His expression was a mixture of relief, joy, and perhaps excitement. "You gave us a scare there. We didn't know if you'd pull through or not. Although, if you hadn't, I guess Genus could've cloned you. But I don't know what the ruling of consent is on cloning. I'm not sure that's ever been considered before recently." He rambled on, seeming to get lost in his thoughts.
Tap Tap
This time, they did the tapping. Their long seaweed hair lightly touched the glass to get him to refocus.
"Whoops. Sorry." The man apologized, embarrassed by his unintentional monologue. "Again, like I said, it's just such a relief that you're okay. You collapsed in the middle of the road, not too far from where I live. When my co-workers came running in with you, hoo boy, the whole place was spurred into action. We rushed to get you here as fast as possible." He explained.
"...Wh...Wh...Where...Where is...here?..." They asked. Their throat no longer hurt, nor felt tired. However, due to inactivity, it felt a little tense.
"Oof...that's a story in of itself..." The man muttered. "...Think...of it...as...a...hospital..." He slowly said, having to come up with something on the spot. "Yeah. That's it. A hospital. And, in case you don't know what a hospital is, the injured get treatment for illnesses or injuries regardless of who they are at them." He answered.
"Don't...humans...hate...us?..." They inquired, their throat getting looser.
"Yeah, they do. But we're working on that. It'll take some time, but I think we've got the right idea of how to make things better for humans and monsters." The man replied. "Oh, speaking of that, you're not just a monster, right? It was...Seafolk, correct?" He questioned.
"Yes...I'm...a Seafolk..." They confirmed with a nod.
"Cool. Glad I remembered. It'd be awkward to call you a fish person or sea dude by mistake." The man said. "So, what kind of Seafolk are you? Your hair resembles kelp, and Genus told us your best treatment would be water. But not solely because you're from the ocean." He asked.
"I'm...Kombu Infinity. At least, that's what I've always been called..." They answered. As the conversation progressed, they felt more comfortable with this person. There was something unexplainable about it. His demeanor? How normal he appeared? What was it?
"Whoa. So, your seaweed is infinite, then?" The man assumed.
"Yeah. In water, it doesn't matter how much I remove; it'll always come back. Plus, I could grow more all across my body if I wanted. But that makes it SUPER hard to move. So, I limit it to my head." Kombu elaborated. They were smiling, even though it couldn't be seen. The last time they had a conversation, a REAL conversation, was...never. This was so pleasant, even if the circumstances were immensely unusual.
"Does it have special properties? Usually, non-humans have powers or unique characteristics. I figured the same applies to Seafolk." The man inquired.
"Oh, yeah! Totally!" Kombu exclaimed with an excited grin beneath their mask. This human wanted to see what their kelp could do. This was great! "I'd love to show you, but I can't while I'm here; not enough room. There's also this weird mask on my face." They said while pointing to the object as if the man couldn't see it.
In response, the man raised his right hand and held up the thumb. At first, Kombu didn't understand this. Then suddenly, the water started draining from the container. Afterward, once it was gone, the glass retracted into the base of the tube Kombu Infinity had been in.
"Wow," Kombu spoke in amazement as they looked down, their feet on top of the base. "I've never seen technology like this before." They confessed.
"How much have you seen?" The man asked while stepping forward. "Also, if you turn around, I can take the mask off for you." He offered.
"Oh. Thank you." Kombu replied as they did precisely that. "As for your question, whatever floats to the bottom of the ocean. It's mainly been ships and MASSIVE cargo crates filled with junk. But sometimes we get good stuff." They explained.
"Most of it was probably busted, huh?" The man guessed as he removed the mask.
"Ah. That feels better~" Kombu sighed with a smile. "And yeah, the stuff is usually broken. Still, it's interesting. There's rarely a new arrival that's the same or similar to what's come before. You surface dwellers sure have an impressive imagination." They told him.
"True. Sometimes, though, it comes back to bite us." The man responded.
"It does?" Kombu questioned.
"Mhm. We come up with a LOT of dumb ideas. Or ones that are flat-out terrible. Most people have no impulse control." The man explained.
Unexpectedly, Kombu fell silent. The man waited patiently, hoping he hadn't somehow said something improper.
"...Sorry." Kombu apologized while averting their gaze. "It's just...I have experience...with people who don't have impulse control...like, at all..." They said.
"Hey. No reason to apologize. I misspoke." The man assured them.
"N-No!" Kombu quickly exclaimed in defiance. "It's not like you could've known! It's no big deal!" They insisted.
"Still, given how we found you, I should've known not to say something like that." The man argued. "But let's not focus on that for now. Instead, how about we get something to eat? I bet you're hungry." He suggested.
"...You'll...give me food?..." Kombu questioned.
"I was planning to. Unless you don't need it since you're a sentient plant." The man replied.
"I don't NEED it. But I can still eat. I've just never been offered food before. I never would've expected a surface dweller to be the first one to do it." Kombu explained.
"Ah. Makes sense." The man said. "Well, regardless of whether or not you need to, you deserve it. You've had what I assume to be one of the worst days of your life. As such, you should have a nice hot meal, whatever you like, to help you unwind." He told them. "Do you have anything in mind?" He asked.
Kombu spent the new few seconds thinking about it. However, it didn't take long to form a choice.
"Meat. I know I'm a plant, but meat has always looked SO tasty! I've wanted a taste, even if it was small. I'd LOVE to get some! If it's not too much trouble." Kombu requested.
"Sure thing. That'll be no issue." The man promised with a smile. "Follow me. And don't mind the water. The guy who owns this place doesn't mind if you drip." He instructed.
A realization struck them as Kombu followed the man out of the room. When it did, they couldn't believe it took them so long to think of this.
"Crap!" Kombu exclaimed while walking beside the man. "I never asked you for your name! I'm sorry." They apologized again, feeling the need since the man's been so polite to them.
"Oh. That slipped my mind, too." The man admitted before extending his hand. "My name's Saitama." He introduced himself.
"Saitama..." Kombu said quietly as they shook his hand. "That's...a nice name." They complimented him.
"Thanks. Although, it's nowhere as cool as Kombu Infinity." Saitama responded.
"Aw, come on. You're just saying that." Kombu said as they withdrew their hands.
"No, I'm serious. You've got an awesome name. You should be proud." Saitama persisted.
As the two continued walking and talking, Kombu's mind temporarily forgot everything else. What had happened to them earlier that day. How they ended up on the surface. The pain they felt. Everything.
Like when they started talking, Saitama had an unknown effect on them. Kombu felt safe. Relaxed. And they were excited for their first-ever meal.
But most of all, Kombu was happy. Just like their conversation with Saitama, they couldn't recall a single time before now that they could say it was like this. They intended to cherish every second of it for however long it would last.
