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answer_keyby tuulentupa / 
tuuli_chan
Water Children Part III: Hikaru
A thousand years flew by, and many a traveler passed by the little hidden lake during that time. They were a various lot, rich and poor, old and young, some full of dreams, others, despair. Some stopped to cool their aching feet in the cold water, but they saw nothing special in the lake, just a nice place for a short rest.
With years the city crept closer and closer, swallowing many other forests and lakes whole, but somehow this little corner was spared. Despite the city's new proximity, the place remained as untouched and wild as ever before – somehow it seemed that the locals had all but forgotten about its existence, for it was very seldom that anyone came there. A year could pass, and the only movement by the shore would be a squirrel jumping from a branch to branch, or a fox running among the trees.
But one day two voices approached, young, one male, one female.
"What a wonderful place!" the woman was saying. "It is almost magical – as if we had stepped into another world, another time when we came to this forest. Who knew there are places like this so close to the city?"
"If you like nature so much," the man said with a little laugh, "maybe we should have went somewhere else than Kyoto."
"Oh, but I've always wanted to see Kyoto! I can't believe I've never been here before!"
The man smiled a little at her happy tone. "Even so... we could have come here any time. It's our honeymoon, I would have wanted to take you somewhere more... special. Like... Paris? How about Paris?"
The woman laughed. "I would not say no to Paris, if you wanted to go there. But I like Kyoto. Besides, you know we can't afford to go so far right now. Certainly some day we can see Paris, if you wish; I'm sure it won't be going anywhere – oh, look! A lake!"
"This is a beautiful sight," the man admitted as they stopped to watch the little lake. "A bit surprising too."
"The air is so fresh here," the woman said, taking a deep breath. "Mmm! Wonderful." She kicked off her sandals and ran to the water. "It's not too cold!" she shouted to the man. "How about going to swim?"
"What?" He seemed startled. "Now? But we don't have our swimsuits or towels with us..."
"Who needs those?" She was already pulling her shirt over her head. "It's a hot day, we'll dry soon in the sun. And we're all alone here, so why not?" Her shorts flew to the same pile with the shirt, and soon she was running into the water, laughing.
"Mitsuko!" the man called on the shore, looking a little startled, but the woman didn't listen. She was already swimming with strong strokes to the middle of the lake.
"Come on, Masao!" she shouted, turning to look at him. "This is wonderful!"
He looked at her, shaking his head, and took then off his sandals and rolled his pants up. He sat on a rock, dangling his feet in the water. "I'm not swimming. But you have fun!"
Mitsuko waved at him. "Your loss!" She took still a few strokes, and dove into the wonderfully cool clear water.
She had always loved swimming, especially in nature. The water surrounded her, caressed her, carried her, and it connected her to the world in a way she couldn't explain, almost couldn't herself understand when she stood on the dry land. In water, she was a part of everything.
And in this little lake, that feeling was stronger than ever. She surfaced, took a deep breath, and dove again. The water got darker and colder the deeper she went, but she knew she would get warm again soon enough in the sun. She glided through water, nimble as a fish, and enjoying herself nearly as much. She turned to head to the surface again, but stopped, confused.
No light of sun came from above. The water was dark all around her. She kicked still with her feet, hesitating. This had to be up, right? She kicked again, pulled a strong stroke, panic rising in her. This had to be up! But still she could see no surface, no light, and she stopped, turned, turned again and wanted to scream, pressure growing in her chest.
Masao, help!
She couldn't lose directions like this. She couldn't. Shouldn't the little air that was left in her lungs help her rise toward the surface? She floated, waited, told herself to remain calm and think logically, but nothing happened. She was lost in the dark.
She squeezed her lips tightly shut, forced herself to keep from breathing though her lungs were crying for air. Blood was humming in her ears and she was sure she was crying, though in the water she couldn't feel the tears. She couldn't just stay there. She had to start moving. But where, which was the right direction?
Right when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, when a desperate so this is it? flashed in her mind and a new kind of darkness was beginning to take over her sight, she thought she saw a human form approaching.
Masao?
The form was blurred and hazy, and she wasn't sure if she really saw it or if it was just her brain playing tricks with her. But it seemed to raise its hand, and point, and as she turned to look she saw the lightest shimmer of light up there, so far away. Again she kicked with her legs, pulled, desperately, and right when she thought her lungs must burst she hit the surface, gasping for breath.
"Mitsuko!"
That was Masao, in the water by the shore. She turned and saw that he had come so far his pants had to be getting wet. She raised her hand and waved, though a little weakly.
"Don't scare me like that!" Masao shouted to her. "I didn't know you can dive for that long!"
"Me neither," she breathed. She shot a glance around. Here on the surface everything was normal – the sun shone, birds sung, a tiny breeze moved among the trees. And the lake was as cool and inviting as ever before.
She was cold. And she had swum enough for this day.
-
Next spring the young couple was at a hospital, watching with smiles their firstborn son.
"He's so beautiful," Mitsuko breathed, holding the baby in her arms. "So... perfect."
Masao smiled as well, but frowned, too. "So... what is it about those hands?"
"The doctors said it seems to be some strange case of syndactyly. It's nothing to worry about – they said this will be easy to operate once he is a little older. My little frog boy." She kissed the baby's head and stroked the strange goldish hair that grew on his forehead.
"Have you decided the name?" They had agreed Mitsuko would get free hands with the name – at least as long as she wouldn't pick one Masao simply couldn't stand.
"Yes." Now that she saw her son, she realized the name had always been clear to her. "He's Hikaru."
---
(Potentially TBC... I have written more, but I don't know what I'm doing with this fic anymore...)
tuulentupa / tuuli_chanWater Children Part III: Hikaru
A thousand years flew by, and many a traveler passed by the little hidden lake during that time. They were a various lot, rich and poor, old and young, some full of dreams, others, despair. Some stopped to cool their aching feet in the cold water, but they saw nothing special in the lake, just a nice place for a short rest.
With years the city crept closer and closer, swallowing many other forests and lakes whole, but somehow this little corner was spared. Despite the city's new proximity, the place remained as untouched and wild as ever before – somehow it seemed that the locals had all but forgotten about its existence, for it was very seldom that anyone came there. A year could pass, and the only movement by the shore would be a squirrel jumping from a branch to branch, or a fox running among the trees.
But one day two voices approached, young, one male, one female.
"What a wonderful place!" the woman was saying. "It is almost magical – as if we had stepped into another world, another time when we came to this forest. Who knew there are places like this so close to the city?"
"If you like nature so much," the man said with a little laugh, "maybe we should have went somewhere else than Kyoto."
"Oh, but I've always wanted to see Kyoto! I can't believe I've never been here before!"
The man smiled a little at her happy tone. "Even so... we could have come here any time. It's our honeymoon, I would have wanted to take you somewhere more... special. Like... Paris? How about Paris?"
The woman laughed. "I would not say no to Paris, if you wanted to go there. But I like Kyoto. Besides, you know we can't afford to go so far right now. Certainly some day we can see Paris, if you wish; I'm sure it won't be going anywhere – oh, look! A lake!"
"This is a beautiful sight," the man admitted as they stopped to watch the little lake. "A bit surprising too."
"The air is so fresh here," the woman said, taking a deep breath. "Mmm! Wonderful." She kicked off her sandals and ran to the water. "It's not too cold!" she shouted to the man. "How about going to swim?"
"What?" He seemed startled. "Now? But we don't have our swimsuits or towels with us..."
"Who needs those?" She was already pulling her shirt over her head. "It's a hot day, we'll dry soon in the sun. And we're all alone here, so why not?" Her shorts flew to the same pile with the shirt, and soon she was running into the water, laughing.
"Mitsuko!" the man called on the shore, looking a little startled, but the woman didn't listen. She was already swimming with strong strokes to the middle of the lake.
"Come on, Masao!" she shouted, turning to look at him. "This is wonderful!"
He looked at her, shaking his head, and took then off his sandals and rolled his pants up. He sat on a rock, dangling his feet in the water. "I'm not swimming. But you have fun!"
Mitsuko waved at him. "Your loss!" She took still a few strokes, and dove into the wonderfully cool clear water.
She had always loved swimming, especially in nature. The water surrounded her, caressed her, carried her, and it connected her to the world in a way she couldn't explain, almost couldn't herself understand when she stood on the dry land. In water, she was a part of everything.
And in this little lake, that feeling was stronger than ever. She surfaced, took a deep breath, and dove again. The water got darker and colder the deeper she went, but she knew she would get warm again soon enough in the sun. She glided through water, nimble as a fish, and enjoying herself nearly as much. She turned to head to the surface again, but stopped, confused.
No light of sun came from above. The water was dark all around her. She kicked still with her feet, hesitating. This had to be up, right? She kicked again, pulled a strong stroke, panic rising in her. This had to be up! But still she could see no surface, no light, and she stopped, turned, turned again and wanted to scream, pressure growing in her chest.
Masao, help!
She couldn't lose directions like this. She couldn't. Shouldn't the little air that was left in her lungs help her rise toward the surface? She floated, waited, told herself to remain calm and think logically, but nothing happened. She was lost in the dark.
She squeezed her lips tightly shut, forced herself to keep from breathing though her lungs were crying for air. Blood was humming in her ears and she was sure she was crying, though in the water she couldn't feel the tears. She couldn't just stay there. She had to start moving. But where, which was the right direction?
Right when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, when a desperate so this is it? flashed in her mind and a new kind of darkness was beginning to take over her sight, she thought she saw a human form approaching.
Masao?
The form was blurred and hazy, and she wasn't sure if she really saw it or if it was just her brain playing tricks with her. But it seemed to raise its hand, and point, and as she turned to look she saw the lightest shimmer of light up there, so far away. Again she kicked with her legs, pulled, desperately, and right when she thought her lungs must burst she hit the surface, gasping for breath.
"Mitsuko!"
That was Masao, in the water by the shore. She turned and saw that he had come so far his pants had to be getting wet. She raised her hand and waved, though a little weakly.
"Don't scare me like that!" Masao shouted to her. "I didn't know you can dive for that long!"
"Me neither," she breathed. She shot a glance around. Here on the surface everything was normal – the sun shone, birds sung, a tiny breeze moved among the trees. And the lake was as cool and inviting as ever before.
She was cold. And she had swum enough for this day.
Next spring the young couple was at a hospital, watching with smiles their firstborn son.
"He's so beautiful," Mitsuko breathed, holding the baby in her arms. "So... perfect."
Masao smiled as well, but frowned, too. "So... what is it about those hands?"
"The doctors said it seems to be some strange case of syndactyly. It's nothing to worry about – they said this will be easy to operate once he is a little older. My little frog boy." She kissed the baby's head and stroked the strange goldish hair that grew on his forehead.
"Have you decided the name?" They had agreed Mitsuko would get free hands with the name – at least as long as she wouldn't pick one Masao simply couldn't stand.
"Yes." Now that she saw her son, she realized the name had always been clear to her. "He's Hikaru."
(Potentially TBC... I have written more, but I don't know what I'm doing with this fic anymore...)
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Date: 2013-09-20 09:56 pm (UTC)[Auerbach]
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Date: 2013-09-30 08:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-22 05:44 am (UTC)- Mahidol
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Date: 2013-09-30 08:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-25 07:45 pm (UTC)This is fantastic and I would love to see more!
-Lacerda
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Date: 2013-09-30 08:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-26 11:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-30 08:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-27 07:15 pm (UTC)--Alberti
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Date: 2013-09-30 08:13 am (UTC)Thanks for the comment!