30. Sea

I coughed.

"Eh?" Takeshi reacted first, "Are you feeling sick, Rei?" he was concerned, so Gokudera and Tsuna turned around as well in alert.

I shook my head frantically. "No! Not at all! The sea breeze is just choking me, that's all." I joked.

Gokudera rolled his eyes. "Seriously, come up with something else." he groaned.

"We-Well," Tsuna spoke up, eyeing me reassuringly, "If anything's wrong, just say the word, alright?"

I nodded. "I will!"

------

"A.. swimming competition?" I had to ask.

Takeshi and this guy I don't recognize were standing side by side, waiting for the signal to begin. Takeshi had his game face on, a stern glare I rarely ever see.

The other guy was someone Drew could faintly identify. A side character from the original plotline.

"Well, it's kind of a long story." Tsuna sighed.

When the signal was given, they leaped into the ocean. It was fascinating to see them, as they both swam at a fast, competitive pace-- and it didn't take long for Takeshi to gain the lead.

I whistled. "Takeshi can really do anything, can he?" I chuckle.

But there it happened. After they rounded the rocky island in the distance-- only one came back.

"Eh?" Tsuna was alarmed, "Wait, where's Yamamoto?"

"What happened?"

The delinquent-looking guy beside him guffawed. "Maybe he got a cramp?" he joked, "so he's probably resting on the island now, yknow."

My eyes sharpened in anger.

My left hand snapped towards guy's wrist before I could think, gripping it harder than I'd intended, but I didn't really care.

"Wha-" the guy was taken aback by the sudden act. It didn't really hurt for him, maybe because my arms were weak, but he was still annoyed by the tight grab, "The fuck's your problem, sissy boy?" he growled angrily, shoving my hand aside.

I held tighter, ignoring the guy's strong resistance, "If anything," I started, sounding a little sinister, "happens to Takeshi..."

A hand was put on mine.

"Rei," Ryohei spoke up in a softer tone, "It'll be alright!" he assured me, a grin on his face, "It's probably like he said. See that island there? If anything happened, he'll be on that island! He'll be alright!"

Ryohei didn't usually say this. He would've been worried too, and perhaps insisted on going over to check. But he's calming himself, because of me.

I reluctantly let go.

"Tch," the older guy tutted, irritated, "What's with you, punk? Putting the blame on us?" he was feigning innocence, "Be grateful I'm letting this go!"

My fist moved.

This time, the one that stopped me was Gokudera.

I turned over with an innocent smile on my face. "Please, Dera?" I pleaded cutely.

He sweatdropped, "Stop it, you'll make things worse." He sighed and turned back to the sea as the swimmer made his way back.

"We'll go once our man returns." Gokudera's opponent informed, a smug smirk on his face.

Gokudera turned to me one last time, taking off his shirt. "Don't worry."

Was he reassuring me?

"I'll go bring the Baseball Idiot back." he said, knocking me in the head. "Sick people should stay here with the girls and start celebrating when the Tenth wins for us!"

Gokudera didn't come back from behind the island either.

-

"There!"

"Oh no!"

Tsuna was swimming against the last guy now. It was supposed to be a climax. After all, this round would decide the victor.

But there came the shouts. Tsuna seemed to notice her too, a girl washed away to the dangerous depths, crying and screaming for help in fear, but the current didn't allow her any way to get closer to shore.

It didn't take much hesitation for Tsuna to split apart from the race route and head over to where the girl was.

"He's going to save her!"

"Tsuna-kun!" Kyoko called out in worry.

"Tsuna-san, don't! It's dangerous!" Haru was worried too.

I put a hand on the two's shoulders. "It's alright!" I assure them, "Tsuna's gonna be fine. Believe in him, y'know?"

Neither of them noticed the lack of a suffix.

Just then, Tsuna managed to reach the girl. The crowd cheered. Yes! He got to her!

But the next thing we know, Tsuna was sinking. He sunk down into the waters... then just burst back up like a jack-in-the-box, yelling "REBORN! I'LL SAVE HER WITH MY DYING WILL!"

I whistled. "There it is!"

Just then, I noticed two familiar figures at the shore.

"Takeshi and Gokudera-kun!" I called out, a smile naturally growing back onto my face, "Welcome back!" I ran over to where they were.

"WHAT??"

Gokudera sighed, poking a foot at the injured mob characters he and Takeshi had just beaten up. "We are back," he said moodily, cracking his knuckles at the remaining two.

"Sorry for the worry, Rei!" Takeshi laughed. He, too, turned to the remaining two fake lifeguards, a smile on his face. "Senpai,"

Gokudera grinned like the devil's spawn. "Thanks for taking care of us like that."

The rest shall be omitted due to over excessive violence.

------

------

Now that the whole drama is over and done with, I settled down under the parasol, enjoying the shade. Unlike the others, who were enjoying the sea, I had to put on a short-sleeved hoodie because I didn't want to show off my surgery scar.

It was hot, but there was a light breeze so it was alright.

Really, I came here to relax, but realized too late I'm not allowed to swim. Well, it's fine to just chill around for once without Sae and Sui.

"Rei-san!" Haru made her way over happily, with Kyoko in tow. Haru and Kyoko joined me, sitting down on either sides of me in their pretty swimsuits and--

"Kyoko, Haru-chan..." I sighed, "Do you have any idea what you're making me look like?"

They didn't.

Well, I'm such a playboy, then.

"That aside, are you going to swim, Rei-san?" Haru brought up the question, "After we came all the way, it'd be a waste to not even dip your feet in the waters!"

She has a point. There's more to the beach than swimming, after all. Playing in the shallow waters; building sandcastles like children and collecting seashells, for example.

I sound like a kid.

"I can't swim, Haru-chan," I chuckle, waving my hand in a 'no' gesture. "For my lungs, it's worse than running!" I joke.

"Hahii!" Haru realized.

"It's a shame." Kyoko smiled sadly, "I've never seen Rei step into the waters even once." she admitted. "Even though we're childhood friends."

I've skipped every single PE Lesson since young, which includes all Pool Days, and we've never gone to the beach.

Does Ninomiya Rei even know how to swim?

"Well," I smiled at the two girls, "Go on and enjoy yourselves! I'll make myself busy here." I assured them, reaching for my bag. "I came here knowing full well my inabilities!"

------

"Hey, kids, wanna see something cool?" I asked, a smile on my face.

The children were around five years old or a little older, and they had been gathering seashells and building sandcastles. They eyed the newcomer, me, curiously, but not warily.

"Who are you, Onii-chan?" one boy asked.

"Weird mask!" a girl pointed at the green object around my eyes.

I chuckled, coming closer towards them. "Onii-chan here..." I told them, sitting down and crossing my feet, "Is a Magician!"

I grabbed a fistful of soil, opening my palm and showing it to the children. Then, I closed my other palm on top of the other. "Eins, Zwei-"

I opened my palms up dramatically at "Drei!"

The sand had formed a butterfly and flown.

"Butterflies!"

"It's so cute!"

"Woahhh!"

It fluttered its sandy wings thrice before it scattered apart, returning to the immobile particles it once was. At that, a few children gave me disappointed looks. They pouted, sad that the magic was gone in half a second.

I chuckled.

I snapped my fingers and about ten more sand butterflies sprouted from the ground and fluttered upwards, dancing in the wind.

"So pretty!" A girl awed.

A boy tried to catch one, but its shape shattered and he only caught sand.

"Ahh! It's gone!"

"Hey, Onii-chan, do it again! Do it again!"

"Magician Onii-chan, Pleasee?"

I chuckled at the children. Man, I love children. Looking around, I see people noticing the noise and coming closer. I made my hat appear in my hands with a burst of pink smoke. I put it on my head and grinned.

"It's show time!"

-------

-------

I coughed. And coughed.

I took a deep breath, and smiled.

I was in a secluded part of the beach, near the rocky areas where no one usually passed by. It was nice, quiet, and cooling. I leaned against the rock, my eyes closing, and I enjoyed the peace.

Solitude was a nice feeling.

"The Hell are you doing here, Green?" came a gruff, annoyed question. "Everyone's wondering where you went." Gokudera growled, "Quit worrying the Tenth."

I opened my eyes, eyeing the taller male.

I couldn't resist a chuckle. "You said everyone was worrying," I smiled, "So were you worried too?" I pointed out cheekily.

Gokudera chopped me in the head. "If something happened to you, the Tenth would worry." he argued. "The hell are you doing here? There's nothing."

I stood up and dusted myself off. "There is something," I told him, "There's the quiet and calm. There is the isolation." I spread my arms out, breathing in a breath of salty sea air.

"Quit being poetic, that's annoying." Gokudera rolled his eyes.

I giggle. "If you say so."

"Let's go back." he said it like it was an order. He gave me one last glance before he turned around, walking away.

I chuckle, readily complying the order.

He walked in front of me, on the narrow rock route back to shore. I walked right behind him, the route not wide enough for two people to walk on the same pace.

Something in the water glinted in the sunlight, and I stopped to take a closer look. I leaned towards the water curiously, trying to catch what it was--

Then my foot slipped. "Eh-"

Gokudera snapped back and his cigarette fell out of his mouth, "Wha-!"

I swerved back, my reflexes telling me to do so, and my arms reached for a stable grappling my foot had lost-- But there's nothing to hold onto--

SPLASH

"What..." Gokudera facepalmed, "On earth are you doing?"

It was shallow waters, so I fell onto soft sand, completely unharmed aside form the fact that I was now drenched.

I found a purple clam in my hands and burst out laughing.

"Look, Dera! It's purple! Ain't it cool?" I showed the Bomber. "Maybe if I clean it I can give it to my sisters as a souvenir!" I was fascinated at the mystic shade of the object.

Gokudera rolled his eyes. "You'll catch a fucking cold! Get out of there!" he scolded.

I giggled. "Okay!"

Gokudera, groaning and grumbling about something, marched away without waiting for me. We weren't far from the shore anyways.

But once the Bomber turned away, I felt my smile fall.

I saw my hands trembling, but it probably wasn't from the cold. My arms wrapped themselves protectively over me as my head hung down and my eyes grew wide.

Fear.

"It's alright, It's alright, It's alright." I whispered to myself, over and over again, as if a protective chant, "You're alright, Rei." I repeated again, "You're alright."

I bit my lips, and felt the back of my throat burning. I clenched my eyes shut, preventing tears from forming.

"No one can hurt you anymore." I told myself, hoping I'd believe it, "It's just water. It's just water." I softly chanted, "Your limbs aren't broken, Rei, Drew can swim."

I took slow, deep breaths, forcefully calming myself down.

"You won't drown in these shallow waters, Rei." I assured myself,

"Not anymore."

------

------

-------

-------

"Hydrophobia, also known as Aquaphobia."

I looked up to see the girl standing before me, her eyes staring straight into mine.

"The fear of drowning."