In the early morning, the surface of the sea sparkled under the rising sun. A flock of seagulls circled above the water, their white wings flashing in the light. Every so often, a few seagulls would dive down in a blur, and each time, they would emerge with a perch fish thrashing in their beaks. The splashes they made looked especially beautiful in the sunlight, as if the sea itself was celebrating the seagulls' success. Gentle waves rolled onto the shore, pushing the golden sand back and forth in a steady rhythm.
On the beach, a child lay motionless. His skin was very pale from being in the water for too long. His brows were furrowed tightly, as if he was in pain, and his lips were dry and cracked, a clear sign of dehydration.
"Ugh…" Reo groaned as he opened his eyes, feeling a deep ache all over his body. His mouth was so dry he could barely swallow.
"Water…" he whispered, his voice weak and hoarse. He tried to push himself up, but his arms were too weak to support him. After a few tries, he gave up and simply lay back on the sand.
Once he stopped struggling, Reo began to look around. All he could see was a clean, golden beach stretching out around him. His mind tried to process what his eyes saw, but before he could make sense of it, a sharp pain shot through his head. Instinctively, Reo pressed his small hands to his temples and let out a hoarse scream. Suddenly, fragments of memories-some familiar, some strange-spun through his mind. The pain was so intense that, despite his weakness, Reo rolled around on the sand, making his aching body hurt even more.
"A… Merchant… Pirate… Kai… Who am I? Who am I? Am I… Reo?" Two different sets of memories tangled together in his mind, making him cry out in agony. Unable to bear it any longer, Reo's vision went black and he lost consciousness again.
While unconscious, Reo had a dream. He dreamed he was swimming happily in a pool of milk, even though he didn't know how to swim in real life. As he splashed around, he accidentally swallowed some of the milk. It tasted sweet and refreshing, and Reo, not satisfied with just one sip, began to drink more and more. But before he could drink his fill, a huge wave made entirely of milk suddenly rose up and crashed down on him.
"Cough… cough… I'm going to die, I'm going to die…" Reo gasped, struggling under the imaginary wave. Suddenly, he woke up, lying beneath a coconut tree.
Sitting up, Reo felt something wet around his mouth. Surprised, he wiped it away with the back of his hand and stared at the milky white liquid. "Is this… milk?" he wondered aloud.
"You're awake," said a young voice, making Reo jump.
"Who are you?" Reo asked, seeing a child standing nearby, looking embarrassed and hiding something behind his back.
"Hey, my name is Shibi. I saved you, so you have to thank me," the child said, his serious expression making it clear he wasn't joking.
"Thank you. Thank you for saving me. My name is Ka… Er, my name is Reo," Reo replied, catching himself as he almost said another name. After thanking Shibi, he asked, "But, where is this place?"
"This is the coast of Seihoku Village. How did you get washed up here? Did you fall into the sea by accident?" Shibi asked, curious about Reo's story.
"Seihoku Village? Ugh…" As soon as Reo repeated the name, another wave of pain hit him, though this time it was less intense and faded quickly. His memories began to clear up. "Isn't this Earth? So… am I dead on Earth?" Reo wondered. He started touching his body, confused. "This isn't me… but I'm still me?" he muttered, lost in thought.
"What are you doing? Are you playing a game where you talk to yourself?" Shibi asked, tossing away the coconut in his hand.
Reo was so deep in thought that he didn't answer. He tried to piece together what had happened: he had died on Earth, then drifted through a black space, and now he was here. The new memories told him that this body wasn't originally his. In this world, the body belonged to a 13-year-old boy named Kai. All Reo could remember was that Kai had been on a cruise ship, attacked by pirates, and had escaped only to fall into the sea.
"Hey! How can you treat your savior like this?" Shibi yelled, annoyed at being ignored.
"Uh, sorry. I was just lost in thought," Reo said, rubbing his head and smiling awkwardly. He didn't realize how much he'd changed; his tough life before had made him wary of strangers, but now, facing Shibi, he didn't feel that way at all.
"Hmph! Shibi is very generous, so I won't hold it against you. Haha!" Shibi said, grinning widely.
Reo looked at Shibi's silly smile and felt a strange warmth in his heart. He turned his attention to the ground and noticed a coconut lying nearby, its milky liquid spilled all over the sand.
"So that's it. You gave me the milky white liquid and almost choked me to death," Reo said, putting the pieces together and teasing Shibi a little.
"Ha… ha… uh, that was an accident. I didn't mean to!" Shibi stuttered, embarrassed.
"Forget it, I forgive you."
"Really? Hehe!"
The mood between them changed instantly.
"So, are we friends now?" Shibi asked, looking at Reo with a big, hopeful smile.
Reo felt his heart ache. No one had ever wanted to be his friend before. All his life, he'd only known ridicule and contempt. No one had ever been so sincere, just wanting to be his friend. He felt tears prick his eyes.
"Thank you. Yes, we're already friends, aren't we?" Reo said, forcing a smile and blinking back tears.
"So, idiot Shibi, I'm really hungry. Can you treat me to dinner?" Reo said, suddenly realizing how hungry he was.
"Of course! Come to my house and I'll treat you to a big meal!" Shibi answered without hesitation. Then, as they started walking, he suddenly remembered something. "Wait, what did you just call me? You're an idiot, Reo! You should call me Mr. Shibi!"
"Hehe, okay, Mr. Shibi," Reo replied, ignoring Shibi's mock outrage and smiling softly.
Shibi heard the gentle tone in Reo's voice and felt there was a kind of seriousness behind it. He didn't say anything more, just smiled back and led the way.
As they walked away, the beach behind them was marked by Shibi's small footprints and the marks left by Reo's body dragging across the sand. The tide began to rise, and wave after wave washed away their tracks until nothing was left, as if they had never been there at all.
But while the waves could erase footprints and even wear down the hardest rocks, they could never wash away the new friendship that had formed in the hearts of these two children.
------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Show your support please throw some stones :)