Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ To Wish Upon The Sea ❯ The Bond We Share ( Chapter 11 )

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To Wish Upon the Sea

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 11: The Bond We Share

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Manami walked down the shore side with a handmade basket full of food for their picnic that day. In her other arm, the girl carried a soft yellow, checkered blanket to spread along the ground. She had waited all day for this one moment in time. There was nothing like lying on the shore of the sea that had given you so much with a friend. Not to mention that specific friend was a product of the sea itself.

"It's such a beautiful day! I can't wait for Hiroyuki to come and eat lunch with me. Now, I'll just have to find the perfect spot for us," the excited girl smiled as she glanced around the shore side for the perfect spot to set up a picnic. Manami didn't want to be too close to the shore but she wanted a nice, warm place that would be at least somewhat flat, even though that was a lot to look for in just sand.

Manami then glanced to her favorite spot, a set of rocks by the sea. The scent of the ocean was fresh, the wind was cold and refreshing but the rocks were far too hard to sit on for too long of a period. Also, the sun beat down on the rocks in the summer and made them hot to the touch, even if they were to lie on the blanket, it would be far too hot to stay on for very long.

"No, I like the rocks but they seem very hard to sit on and talk for a while."

The girl then glanced to the shore. "If we picnic there, then the tides might rise and soak all of our food. Hm? What's that?"

A small sailing ship pulled into the docks nearby. Manami liked the sound and sight of the ships that frequented the docs by the shore side and a favorite past time of hers was to walk to the docks and watch the sailors and fisherman unload their catches and see the many merchants with fine imported items.

"I'm going to go and watch them get off. I wonder how many different fish they caught today," the happy girl headed down towards the docks. When she arrived, a few of the ship's crew were talking to each other as others unloaded fish from the boat in large nets.

The white-clad girl watched as a few more crew members walked down the long, wooden ramp. Her eyes widened in surprise to see that one of them men was Hiroyuki. She had no idea that he worked on a large fishing boat. To her, he seemed more like a fisherman who was independent.

After the small shock was over, her smile returned as she waited for the man to walk down to her.

"I didn't know that you worked on the big fishing boats," Manami spoke up, catching the blue-haired man's attention as he looked at her in question. He didn't think that Manami would have been on the docks, let alone even at the sea yet.

"Yes, how did you figure that out?" Hiroyuki seemed a little confused.

"I didn't," Manami replied, "I just came here to watch them unload the fish and I saw you get off. I was a little surprised to see you." It was really a coincidence that the two of them had been in the same place at the same time. Manami was glad that she could see him at one of her favorite places.

It was also convenient that the two of them met there.

"Yeah, same here. I didn't know that you watched the ships," the confusion was beginning to fade from Hiroyuki's face. Perhaps it was just ironic.

"When I was younger, I'd come down to the sea side and watch them. I also liked to collect shells," Manami had remembered those abusive times when she would walk down to the beach with her battered body and after a few moments of crying, she'd watch the ships roll in and the waves rushing to her. The gentle air had always calmed her spirits and the sounds of the ships often had taken her to far off places.

It was uplifting to come to the sea.

"Well, let's eat and watch the ships undock," Hiroyuki replied as the dark-haired girl agreed and held up her basket, telling him that she brought a lot of too, had brought some food of his own. He held a small basket of fish and cake to the girl and told her that he had a few things of his own.

"What did you bring?" Manami asked with curious eyes.

"I brought a few fish and a spice cake," the blue-haired fisherman replied with a gentle smile.

"Oh, spice cake is my favorite," the girl clasped her hands together in joy. This picnic was going to be fun after all.

"What did you bring?" Hiroyuki asked.

"Well, I brought yakatori, shabu-shabu and nikuman. Oh and for desert I brought pastries," Manami had gone a bit overboard for just two people but she didn't know the other man's appetite nor did she know that he was bringing food as well.

"Are you sure that I can eat all of this?" The long-haired man asked nervously as he pointed to the basket. It was a lot of food for just two people. He definitely didn't count on this.

"Well, you can always take some with you. I'd be happy if you did," Manami answered and decided to try and fix her little problem. She would know next time not to cook so much food.

"If you take mine, I'll take yours," Hiroyuki offered. It was far better to eat someone else's cooking opposed to his own.

"Deal!" The girl beamed in agreement.

"Come on, let's go and find a nice spot to sit and talk," Hiroyuki replied as the two of them walked towards the beach.

Soon they found a place that was flat and not too hot, so they laid the blanket down and straightened it the best they could. They then laid their food out and sat down to eat. After a short meal, Manami decided to try a piece of the spice cake that looked so good. She commented about how good the cake was and how much she loved it.

"Thanks, I made it myself," Hiroyuki replied, happy that she complimented his cooking; even though he thought it was merely average.

"You're a very good cook."

"I try. Well, it's enough to get me by anyway," the long-haired fisherman placed a hand behind his head and laughed a little.

"It must be nice to be able to move all over the seas like that in that big boat," Manami was amazed at someone who lived their life on the sea. To her it was one of the best things to be surrounded by the life-giving waters and to smell the salty air. To be surrounded by the sea must have been one of the best experiences she could have imagined, then again, Manami had always grown up with a love of the sea.

"It's pretty amazing but if you're out on the sea too long, you have a tendency to get homesick. I kind of miss being away from the land so much," the fisherman explained. While it was nice to be on the sea, it often got lonely, especially when you're usually surrounded by friends and family. When you are alone in the middle of the ocean, it can be a frightening place. Being solely surrounded by water for days on end was just the same as being in the desert- it was enough to make someone go crazy.

"Do you see any interesting things in the sea?" Manami asked, immersed in conversation.

"Sometimes, we've seen anything from pirates to strange, fish-like creatures," with that comment, sparked another question from the inquisitive and interested girl.

"Have you seen any Naga?"

"Naga? You know about them? Hiroyuki asked a little surprised that a girl would know about some of the lesser-known mythical creatures.

"Yes, I've read about them ever since I was very little, although I've never seen one. Have you?" Manami lied and with good reason. Not only had she promised Thanatos that she would keep her knowledge of him a secret but she didn't want the word to spread to anyone who might want to hurt the naga. They had already been driven into the ocean and made into semi-aquatic creatures, if she told anyone about them, then she may as well be the reason they become endangered or even extinct.

"Sure, I've seen a lot of naga in the seas. They usually scatter when we come near them. They don't like humans, especially on the seas and in boats because of all of the hunting," Hiroyuki informed the girl of the vast problem dealing with hunters on the seas.

"Hunting?" Manami asked with slight worry in her pale eyes. She knew that some of the people had hunted the naga but she had no idea that hunting was that much of a problem out on the seas. No wonder the naga were as defensive as they were. 'Thanatos-sama had mentioned that before but he never went into detail about it.'

"Yes, humans have hunted the naga for several years," the man informed as he glanced over the rolling tides of the sea.

"Why?"

"There are many things about the naga that serve as powerful magic tools and lots of different aspects of them that can be used in potions and spells. Most hunters go after the scales but others can go after the eyes, horns, hair and claws," Hiroyuki certainly knew about what the hunters wanted, there was no doubt about that.

"I don't understand why people would want to hunt them. They are so beautiful and mysterious. I'd rather learn from them then kill them off," the black-haired girl looked down as she clenched part of her white dress in her hands. Everything that was happening around the nagas was truly a sad turn of events.

She didn't have any idea that this was such a serious event for them. No wonder Marjani treated her the way she did upon their initial meeting.

"People hunt them for the magical power and the money. They can sell items from the nagas at a good price, especially if they find gold or weaponry on them," Hiroyuki commented.

"I think that's very sad...No wonder they are all in the sea now," Manami lifted her head up and glanced across the sea. Many thoughts ran through her head about Thanatos and all of the friends that she'd made with the members of the naga clan. She hoped that they were safe where ever they were.

"It was said that the growing number of humans caused them to be driven into the sea and adapt as more aquatic beings rather than land beings. It's probably the truth. I do see a lot more of them in the sea then I had before but what do I know? I am but a humble fisherman after all. I catch fish, not naga."

"I'm glad!" The girl beamed happily. "It's nice to find someone out there who doesn't just want to kill them."

"I can tell you must care about them a lot," Hiroyuki looked at her with a placid smile.

"Yes, I like them very much."

"Do you know any personally?" The question was enough to send chills down the girl's spine and internally, for a moment she panicked before lying in response.

"No...but I'd like to meet one someday," her smiling mask seemed innocent enough to cover herself. 'Sorry Hiroyuki, I can't tell you about Thanatos-sama. He'd never forgive me.'

"You just talk about the subject like you've had personal experience," Hiroyuki pointed out and it had reminded Manami that she had been speaking just a bit too intimately of the naga. However, there was nothing that she could do now. That was a mistake on her behalf and perhaps it was better to simply act more interested with them. The dark-haired girl hoped that she could pass off her passion towards them as sheer interest, though it would be hard to do such a thing.

"It's not that. It's just that, I sympathize with them. If everyone hunted me and tried to kill off my kids, lovers and friends then I'm sure that I would be afraid and want to live in secrecy too," the girl put a hand on her chest. Even though it was a cover-up for her past mistakes by speaking so intimately of the creatures, it was no lie that she couldn't see eye-to-eye on subjects like the one at hand. It had to be a horrible experience to go through.

"I suppose you're right. They probably hate us, huh?"

"I'm sure most of them do," Manami's gaze fell back to the picnic blanket in sorrow.

'There's something odd about this girl. I wonder if she really does know about the naga after all. She seems quite hurt by the fact that they are hunted and she not only knew of their existence but her feelings are far more on a personal scale than those of one who truly had not seen them and simply wanted to meet one to prove their existence.' It was all-too ironic for Hiroyuki. Manami's train of thought alone told him that the girl was hiding more then she had said.

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Andromeda spun around in the water in sheer delight. "You're wonderful, Thanatos! A true king to be and me..." The long-haired naga wrapped her arms around the prince's neck and nuzzled the side of his face affectionately. "Your beautiful wife. I can see it all now..." She trailed off as she let her imagination go to work for her.

"You day dream too much. Don't act like we're destined or anything." There was nothing more irritating then a woman who saw stars in her eyes because of his position. While he wasn't keen on the white-haired female, he wasn't going to push her away, at least not for now.

Within the confines of his mind, he had made his true decision about who he really loved. The prince had made his decision and he was more than happy to let Andromeda have a little fun with him on their dates. However, he didn't want her assuming that it was going to be simple.

"I love you, Thanatos and I appreciate that you've been taking me out. I like spending time with you," beautiful red lips curved into a devious, yet happy smile.

"We practically breathe the same air," Thantos noted her cling-on behavior.

"I didn't mean to be that way but I just won't see you for a while," she hugged him a little tighter. "I'm going to miss you."

"Yeah, me too. I guess you're not so bad," the black-haired naga admitted. He had learned to tolerate his potential wife to be and had grown quite accustomed to her. He supposed that maybe it wasn't so bad dealing with her habits. Sure, she was clingy but he could at least semi-understand it.

After all, she was going back to her home for a while and it was the least he could do to humor her.

"Really? That makes me happy. I'm glad that you like me. I hope we can become closer then this even," the naga inched closer to her husband-to-be's face as blue eyes burnt into green in a long-lasting stare.

"Maybe..." Thanatos replied in a distant voice as he wrapped his strong arm around her and pulled her close. While Andromeda was busy basking in the glory of his strong chest, he took a few minutes to glance up towards the top of the sea above them. 'Hey Manami, I hope that you're watching yourself up there, kid.'

No matter how hard he tried, that seemingly innocent, battered girl's image was forever burnt into his mind. No woman of the sea would make him forget someone like Manami. She had been the only human who was ever kind to him. He longed to see her again and a part of him was happy that Andromeda would soon be leaving. Then and only then could he get his chance to see her again.

He just hoped that nothing had happened to her since he was gone.

The long-haired naga pulled back and stared with a drunken love into his eyes as she told him that she would see him again. He agreed with a nod and the two of them shared a passionate kiss before her final parting words were spoken.

"See you, my sweet prince," the beautiful naga spoke as she swam away.

'I thought I'd never get rid of her. Now I can concentrate on getting back to Manami. I hope that she's alright.' Thanatos thought to himself as he departed for the surface. With speed and determination, he would return to the girl he had protected against her abusive father. Thanatos would spend all the time he could with her before Andromeda returned and at the same time, he also had some things to confess as well.

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"That was pretty good. Thanks for the great food. You're a good cook, Manami," Hiroyuki complimented after he had taken the remaining bit of the girl's food and stuffed it into his small lunch basket. Manami gathered the spice cake into hers as well and told him that he was also a pretty good cook and that she liked the spices that he had used on his fried fish. The fisherman replied that it was an old family recipe.

Manami arose with her basket and gazed at him with a tranquil smile. "I'm going to collect a few shells. Do you want to come with me?" She asked happily. It was a long-acquired habit of hers. Every time she was at the shore, she had always made an effort to sift through the shells and find ones to her fancy to collect and bring back home.

"I'm pretty full. I think I just want to lay on the beach for a while, if you don't mind," Hiroyuki replied as he laid on his side and draped an arm over his slender stomach. He had eaten a lot of food and now he simply just wanted to let it digest. Plus it had been a while since he was able to rest and basking in the sunlight sounded too promising to pass up.

"Not at all. I'll be back in a few minutes," Manami beamed as she ran over to the coast line and began to sift through various shells, picking out only the most odd-looking and colorful of them to add to her personal collection. She had been so immersed in her collecting that she failed to notice Thanatos surface and slither on shore.

The naga prince observed the girl performing her regular habit of picking up shells. She had done this ever since he'd met her, no matter what her condition, it was the one thing that she had done faithfully and without fail. Spying a shell in the water, he picked up the strange-looking black, pearlized clam shell and tapped the girl on the shoulder, holding out the said shell in offering to her.

Manami responded by glancing over her shoulder. She then reached out to take the shell until she noticed who was attached to the masculine hand.

It was Thanatos.

"Thanatos-sama!" Manami cried out with tears welling in her eyes. The long-haired girl flung herself forward and hugged the male tightly as she buried her head in his well-defined chest.

Strong arms wrapped around her in return and the stubborn prince could help but to close his eyes and smile. "Hey kid, did you miss me?"

"You came back!" The girl looked up at him with bright, hopeful eyes and the prince couldn't help but feel tingly at not only their contact, but her voice and expression as well. Suddenly, the feelings within him registered and his confusion had finally been cleared up.

There was indeed something that he had to tell her and he would not back down now.

"Did you think I'd leave?" Thanatos asked as he placed his hands on the girl's shoulders and looked into those large, innocent eyes that were now filled with so much happiness. It pleased him that she no longer wore a look of pain or sorrow.

"I always had faith that you'd come back. Oh, by the way, I didn't know that you were a prince," the girl decided to bring that horrible topic up.

"Well," The naga looked away in irritation for a few moments before he turned back to her and continued, "I never really cared if anyone knew. I'm kinda sick of that life, especially as of lately. I'm glad you're here, though. You know, I've been thinking and I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?" Manami wondered what Thanatos had been thinking about regarding her all of the time that he had been gone. What question could possibly be on his mind?

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From his position on the shore, Hiroyuki arose a little and blinked a couple of times to clear his vision. He couldn't believe what he was seeing! There, out in the open, was Manami, hugging on a naga- the very creature that she denied meeting in real life.

"Is that...it is..." The fisherman said in astonishment and disbelief. "It's a naga. I knew it."

He had been correct all of this time.

Manami had blatantly lied to him.

'I knew that girl liked naga and had a connection with them. How else would she know that kind of information without knowing them first hand.' The long-haired man slowly arose from his position on the beach. He didn't even bother to dust his clothes off. 'It is said that whoever finds one of these babies can make a haul of money! I'm definitely all over that!' He unsheathed his long sword. "Come here, naga. You are all mine!" Hiroyuki yelled as he rushed down to the shore side to capture Thanatos.

This had been just the break he was waiting for and it was all thanks to Manami for leading his straight to such a note worthy creature.

"Manami, how would you feel if I told you that I feel differently towards you now, more than anyone else?" Thanatos asked lowly. It was almost as if the subject was hard for him to divulge.

"What do you mean?" Manami seemed confused at this sudden subject.

"I mean, I think that I love you." Soon after the phrase was said, the sentimentality of the words was cut short by a young man's voice yelling out the word 'die'. Human and Naga a like turned to see a man with long blue hair, a yellow headband and clad in green pants and a long, blue shirt with a brown belt charging at them with a sword drawn. There was no doubt in their minds that one of them was going to die right then and there if something wasn't done.

"Hiroyuki! No!" The black-haired girl didn't understand why this was happening. She thought that Hiroyuki liked that naga. Why would he attack the very thing that he shared interest with her in?

Unless...

...

...

..

.

She was such a fool.

He had only wanted to acquire information so that he could find the whereabouts of the naga and kill them off. She was betrayed by this seemingly kind stranger and now, he was going to try and murder Thanatos.

"What the hell is going on?" Thanatos asked, caught completely off guard and even more so that Manami seemed to know this man. What the hell was going on indeed!?

"I'll be rich if I get you in my net! Dead or alive, you're worth a hefty sum of money!" Hiroyuki shouted with a twisted grin on his face as he madly brought his sword down upon that naga prince.

"Please stop!" Manami shouted in dismay, tears clung to her light colored eyes as she could do nothing but watch helplessly as she witnessed the true brutality of human kind.

...To Be Continued...