Fujimoto on the Cliff (1)

Once upon a time, not too long ago, there was a young boy named Fujimoto. He was born with unruly ginger hair, and a mind full of great imaginings. He grew up in a small house, on a hill next to the sea, and from a very young age, he developed a great love for the sea. His father was a fisherman, and so was his father before him, and his father before him, and so on. Fujimoto and his two younger brothers were destined to become fishermen when they grew up as well. Fujimoto used to beg and plead to his father to take him along when he went on fishing trips. His father always warned him that the ocean was dangerous. He spent lots of time drawing pictures of fish, of mermaids, of giant squids.

On the day that Fujimoto turned five years old, his father agreed to take him aboard his fishing boat with him. The young boy was delighted. He waved goodbye to his mother and brothers and set out on his journey. Farther, farther, and farther still they ventured from the shore, until his little house one the hill was gone from sight. The young boy was amazed by everything; the seagulls, the beautiful silver fish, skipping amongst the waves, the sun, setting purple in the never-ending sky.

Then, night came, and Fujimoto's father had caught many fish, and was tired. He was ready to head back to the house. "Step away from the side, my son," He told Fujimoto, "Or you will fall from the boat and drown!" But Fujimoto did not listen. Fujimoto's father turned the boat around, and it rocked back and forth, back and forth. The deck was slippery from all of the fish they'd caught, and Fujimoto lost his footing. Down, he plummeted, into the ocean. It was dark, and cold, and he was scared. He began to panic, and under the water he went. His father reached out to grab him, but could not reach. He was just about to jump in, when something amazing began to happen.

The ocean lit up, with a brilliant yellow light. Fujimoto felt a pair of arms wrap around him, felt himself rising back to the top of the water. Before he knew it, he was above the water. He opened his eyes to see a beautiful woman holding him. Her entire skin glowed, and her long red hair stretched for miles beyond his view. A crown of jewels and pearls adorned her head. She handed Fujimoto back to his father, who, in amazement, thanked her for saving his boy. She said nothing, and disappeared back into the sea.

Most children, when nearly drowned, become very afraid of water.

On that night, however, Fujimoto became obsessed with the sea.

As he grew, he read all the books he could find, in a desperate attempt to find out who had saved him. Stories of old told of a nameless enchantress who lived in the sea that saved those who had fallen in. Many speculated that she was a mermaid, and many believed that she was a Goddess of the sea. He was sure that she was the one who had saved him.

All of the other children in his little town thought that he was crazy and teased him for believing something as silly as being saved by any magical creature, but he didn't care. He spent his hours at sea, reading his books and hoping to see her again. He even jumped overboard once, to see if she'd save him again. Alas, he found himself more than able to keep himself from drowning, and in fact, quite good at swimming.

He realized that since he could not honestly drown anymore, he would have to find another way to summon her again. He read through his books a great many times, searching for other ways to reach her, but no other ways were written. He continued to take his father's boat out to sea, almost daily. By this time, he'd become a bright young man, and at the age of eighteen, he could take the boat out on his own. He became very dedicated to learning all he could about the sea, and read every book on the subject in his school's library. He learned all about anemones and sea stars, about boats and anchors, about currents and waves. Everything he learned fascinated him. It held so much mystery, and so much grace.

The other students often picked on Fujimoto; his ginger hair (which was strange in itself in a simple fishing village) had grown well past his shoulders, and he'd grown tall and lanky. They called him crazy, obsessed, lonely. And maybe he was all of those things. None of their words bothered him though. He knew that he'd find what he was looking for some day.

One summer's night, there was a terrible storm at sea. Fujimoto stood on his front step, watching the ocean waves rip white creases into the dark blue. With some of the bigger waves, he could've sworn that he saw enormous fish. He was so distracted by the waves that he forgot to tie his father's boat back to the dock. It was only when he saw the boat torn to shreds off in the distance that he realized his mistake. His father scolded him furiously. He was so upset by his mistake that he went to bed that night without even changing from his day-clothes, and woke up the next morning with a dreadful cold.

Fujimoto's father left early in the morning to find a new fishing boat. Fujimoto stayed home from school with a fever. He didn't like being stuck at his house, with his mother and youngest brother. They thought that he was silly, spending all of his time obsessing over the sea. His mother, however, insisted that he stay in bed. He spent most of the day staring out the window, watching the fishing boats off in the distance, reading their flagsigns. That night, when the sun went down, Fujimoto crept out of his bedroom window and down to the dock. His father had stayed in town for the night, so Fujimoto had the dock all to himself.
He laid down across the wooden planks, staring blankly up at the stars. He let his arm fall off of the dock, his fingers skimming the water. The sounds of the waters were calming to him. He was still feeling admittedly under the weather as he tried to imagine himself out on his father's boat. He rolled over onto his stomach and looked out towards sea. There were hardly any waves rolling in that night. He felt himself slowly drifting off to sleep when a voice startled him.

"Are you alright?"

Fujimoto's eyes snapped open. He looked about, and saw nothing. He thought he might've been hearing things. He sat up and rubbed blearily at his eyes. Then, he saw it. In the water, where his reflection should have been, was the face of the woman. He was very surprised, and almost fell into the water as a result. He peered down at her in amazement. Again came her voice, soft and sweet.
"Are you alright?" She came out of the water and rested her arms on the dock. He was entranced by her. She was just as he remembered; long, flowing red hair, beautiful, luminous skin. He was so amazed by the sight of her that he almost forgot to answer. His voice came out stuffy and miserable, thanks to his cold.
"...Yes, I'm alright," He had been waiting his whole life to see her again, and she appeared on the one night that he was ill. He cursed himself inwardly for not tying up the boat. She craned her head at him, seeming confused.
"What's the matter with your voice?" She asked.
Fujimoto pouted. "I have a cold." Her eyes were wide with wonder. "...I'm sick."
"Oh dear," She said, smiling a bit. "That's not good at all!" She reached her pale arm forward and tapped the end of his nose with her finger. Suddenly, he felt as good as new, as if he'd never been sick at all.
"H-how did you-" He stuttered cluelessly. Her smile grew.
"I've been watching you." She said, brushing her beautiful red hair aside. "You come out to see me almost every day." Fujimoto's mouth fell open. He felt as if he must've been dreaming.
"Watching me?" He questioned. She nodded.
"Yes. I see you a lot. What is your name?"
"Fujimoto." He answered, bowing to her a bit.
"Pleased to meet you, Fujimoto. My name is Granmamare." Her very eyes seemed to glow with excitement. "I am the princess of the ocean."
"Princess?" Fujimoto asked. "Does that mean that your parents are the king and queen of the ocean?" Fujimoto couldn't imagine anyone more amazing than this beautiful creature before him.
"No, I'm afraid." She smiled sadly. "I never knew my parents. I grew up alone, with my older sister, as part of the sea."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," The young man answered earnestly. "But if that is the case, then why aren't you the queen yourself?"
"That is because you cannot be a queen without a king." She replied, looking dreadfully sad, "And I cannot marry, because I must stay in the sea."
"That's so sad..." Fujimoto didn't like the idea of growing old all alone. "and seems very lonely."
"It is." She frowned. "The sea creatures are friendly enough, but they aren't much for conversation." She giggled a bit. Fujimoto laughed too. "Now, speaking of lonely, what are you doing out here all alone? It's getting dark out."
"M-me?" How frightfully embarrassing, he thought to himself, that he'd devoted so much time trying to find the girl, but never thought of what to say to her when he did. He'd always imagined himself being charming, like the princes in the story books he so enjoyed. "I... I needed to get away from my house, you see. I've been home in bed all day long, and my mother and siblings have been a little exhausting to deal with." She nodded. "And my father's not home. He went out to buy a new boat. So-"
"New... Boat?" She asked. "What happened to the old one?"
Fujimoto's face flushed with embarrassment. "I... When the storm hit the town the other night, it got destroyed. I didn't tie it down very well..."
"I'm so sorry," She looked out to the ocean behind her. "I still don't have the hang of protecting the villages yet. That used to be my sister's job. My only job used to be to save those who were drowning."
Fujimoto wondered if she remembered saving him when he was younger. "Why is it your job now?" He asked instead, far too nervous to ask such a question.
"Oh." Her face grew solemn. "My sister fell in love with a human. She gave up all of her powers to follow him onto the earth. But when he did not return her love, she turned into sea foam." Fujimoto's eyes grew wide.
"That's dreadful!" He gasped.
"Yes, but it's where we all came from." She agreed sadly.
"FUJIMOTO!" Shouted a voice from upon the hill. Fujimoto jumped to his feet. "YOU'D BETTER GET INSIDE NOW!"
"Th-that's my mother! She sounds very upset with me... Oh dear..." He said in a panic. The beautiful woman before him turned back towards the sea, slowly sinking in. "Wait!" He called, nearly in a whisper. She turned back, all but her eyes and the top of her head beneath the water. "C-can I ever...?" No, he thought to himself, that's far too sappy. There's no way he could ask to meet her again.
"I'll be back tomorrow night," She whispered in return, before disappearing beneath the swell completely.

Fujimoto stared at the ocean, his heart still racing inside of his chest. There was no chance of him getting any sleep tonight.

Friends

Another one about Shiro, Acorn, and co. This one includes Asa, the medic of the group. Enjoy!

Acorn knocked on the medic’s door, a piece of paper clenched in her fist. Asa answered it quickly, stepping aside without a word to let her in. The girl strode over to the couch with a familiarity that proved the numerous visits to this room. She plopped down in her seat, crossing her arms and staring her best friend down and waited for him to explain.

“You got my note, I see.” He began.

“M-hm.”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“About?”  Asa frowned and sat beside her, catching her eyes with a rather pointed look.

“You like Shiro.” Asa said firmly, not a question, not a smug exclamation, just a fact.  Acorn’s eyes went wide and she turned crimson, spluttering out pure gibberish. “Don’t bother lying; I’m not as dense as Shiro is. You like him.” Acorn finally got her tongue untangled.

“He’s not dense! And I don’t like him, honest!” Asa tapped his foot, scowling. “Stop that.” He scowled worse. “It’s not… I can’t… You know how much he loves her!” She blurted out, looking cross.

“That’s true. What are you going to do about it?” Asa took the near confession in stride, hardly batting an eye.

“Wait, you don’t think it’s silly that I like him?” Acorn was surprised; usually Asa was very practical, even to a fault.

“Of course not. You can’t control who you like. You should be careful not to get too attached though.” He replied casually.

“That makes no sense!” Acorn snapped in protest, fuming. “First you say I can’t help it and then say I can?!” Asa poked her nose. “H-Hey! Cut it out.” The medic poked two fingers on either side of her mouth and made her smile, looking very serious.

“There. Much better.”  She swatted at him but he dodged, getting off of the couch and rearranging his medicine vials on the table across from them.

“What was that about?” She growled, rubbing her cheeks.

“You shouldn’t look so sad all the time. Liking someone who doesn’t like you back is tough, but you can get through it, I know.”

“How would you know?!”

“Because I like someone who likes someone else.” Asa kept his back to his friend, re-wrapping a roll of gauze that had come un-done. He said it casually, but Acorn was intrigued.

“Do I know her?”

“No.” Not like I do anyway. He thought.

“What’s her name?” Asa paused on that one.

“I don’t know.” The fact was true. She’d never told him her real name.

“Oh. She’s a secretive girl then. Well, good luck trying to get her to like you!” Acorn said cheerfully. Asa laughed bitterly.

“I’d rather she didn’t.” Acorn opened her mouth to argue but Asa cut her off, turning back around. “For her to even realize I like her, she’d have to be hurt by the guy she likes. I’d rather her forget I exist than see her hurting.” Asa shifted uncomfortably, feeling like he’d crossed out of his comfort zone.

“That’s really sweet of you, Asa.” The medic looked up at her sharply. “That girl is stupid not to like you.” Acorn crossed the room and pecked him on the cheek, smiling. “Thank you for cheering me up, you’re the best friend a girl could have!” With that, she practically skipped out of the room, leaving Asa stunned.

Asa touched his cheek with a shaking hand, staring at the door as if Acorn was going to bound back through it. He sighed and laughed sadly, shaking his head.

“You idiot, you just insulted yourself.”

--Kelsie 

A short story- Say something

             First off, I' apologize for never posting. I have no excuse. Next, this is kinda sappy, so, if you don't like romance, don't read it. This is based off of one of my unfinished stories, about an orphan and a girl who'd lived with him and his gang for a while. This is also loosely based off of the song: "Say something" 

“I love you” She whispered, clutching at his shirt, hiding her face in his chest. All Layla could hear was his heart beating and the sharp intake of breath at her words. Her heart plummeted when a silence grew between them, and she swallowed.

“Say something.” She choked out, feeling her shoulders shake. “I love you Shiro. Let me stay! I want to be with you and the gang forever! Don’t make me go!” She felt her face grow hot and tears escaped her eyes, clenched tightly shut. “Say something! Please.” She wrapped her arms around his chest and buried her face in his shirt.

Hands reached lowly back and unhooked hers, pulling her away from him so they were a foot apart. Shiro leaned down to his friend’s eye level, cool red eyes looking horribly sad. Layla wiped her eyes and waited for him to speak.

“You have to go home Layla.” Every word he spoke pierced her heart. “Your parents need you, and you have to finish school. You have a home Layla, a family. We don’t have that. You need to take good care of yours.” She shook her head.

“My home is with you, Shiro!”

“Layla…”

“I love you! Does that mean nothing to you?” Layla rubbed the balls of her hands into her eyes, sobbing out her words. Shiro leaned in then and kissed her sweetly and chastely on the lips. Every ounce of love went into the kiss, leaving them both stunned. Layla hiccuped and looked up at him with sad brown eyes. 

“I love you too… But you need to go home. You just, finish college and… come back to me, okay?”  Shiro kissed her forehead once and drew her into a tight hug, and the girl felt warm and safe for a single moment. Then the taxi honked and they both flinched, drawing apart. Words were no longer necessary, so Layla put her bags in the trunk, sliding into the passenger seat and shutting the door behind her. Shiro couldn't watch, so he turned back towards home as the engine revved.

“Shiro!” Her voice cut back to him and the boy whipped around, hardly catching the necklace that had been thrown to him. “I’ll come back to you. Wait for me!” With that the impatient taxi flew around the corner and vanished from sight, leaving Shiro standing on the sidewalk clutching the heart shaped pendant.

Shiro walked a few steps in silence before falling onto the park bench nearby. He held the necklace tight in his hands and promptly burst into tears, sobbing and trying to stop, but the emotions had finally caught up. He was later found by Acorn, cried to sleep on the park bench, Layla’s heart in his hands.

There. sappy right? --Kelsie