Behind the Glass (Komahina AU)

Chapter Nine: New Start

As the sun slowly crept in, Nagito woke up feeling cold. Hajime was still asleep on his chest, a smile on his soft face. Pushing his hair off his eyes, Nagito felt his heart jump.

A deep sorrow fell upon his heart. As much as the island was a nice place, he knew that it won't be safe forever. Junko and her crew were already looking for them. Sighing, he stood up and started to gather wood for a fire. The fear of Hajime being tortured made him feel uncertain about where he would go.

Minutes later, a single spark was ignited in the fire pit. Nagito rubbed his eyes as he yawned. The sea salt air tickled his nose and lungs as he began to feel warmer. He knew it wouldn't last long as he knew Hajime would dry out if he got too close.

"Good morning!" Hajime called out, leaning onto a palm tree with weak knees. Nagito rushed over to catch him before he fell down. "Heh...still working on it..." Then, he heard his stomach growling. "Ah..."

"You need to eat something to gain your strength." Nagito explained. "However...I don't think I can find any shells in this part of the sea..."

Hajime felt a twinge of sickness as the thought of eating fish crossed his mind. Nagito noticed it which made the merman look away blushing. "I'll...go catch them then."

"It's going to be okay." Nagito said, patting his back. Hajime smiled a little before taking off and diving into the ocean. He couldn't help notice that his legs transformed back into his tail; but a little longer and the tail fin was more elegant.

Later, Nagito had begun to put the fish on a spit to begin turning it over the fire. Hajime stayed behind him as he looked away.

"You don't have to eat all of it." Nagito said. "Just enough to get through the day."

"I guess...but what are we doing?" Hajime asked. He felt scared when all he heard was silence. "We are not staying here, are we?"

"No, Hajime." Nagito sighed. "It isn't safe here as long as we stay here. Junko is more than likely to find us."

"So...where do we go?"

"That...I do not know. Possibly a town of sorts, but I am not sure where we are." Nagito said.

Hajime suddenly could hear something off into the distance. It was faint, but it sounded like laughter and chatter. He was certain it wasn't Junko or her crew because he could hear children. There was this feeling of 'community' that he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Hajime?" Nagito asked, tapping his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Breaking out of his trance, Hajime smiled as he looked into his eyes. "I...know where to go. It may seem strange, but you have to trust me."

"I do." He replied. "Whatever we go, I'll protect you." He kissed him on the cheek. Moments later, the two began to eat their catch. For Hajime, it was a little difficult to swallow. Nagito decided to cut off the skin and only give him the soft cooked meat. Hajime didn't eat a lot, but enough to get through the swim ahead of them.

A few minutes later, they left with Nagito hanging onto Hajime with his newly formed gills. As they crossed through the blue sea, Nagito was at awe of Hajime's determined look in his eyes. His ears were perked up and his scales shimmered in the sunlight. Despite travelling very fast, it was time had slowed down to admire every feature. For the first time, he felt whole.

Two hours later, it was high noon when they arrived at shore. Nagito walked with Hajime on his shoulders as the latter's tail began to change back to legs. Both panting, they began to feel uncomfortable as the lack of clothes dawned on them. Hajime had nothing but a shirt on, and while Nagito didn't have a problem, there were others who would think different.

Scanning around the area, he saw a clothesline near some stairs leading up to the town. Grabbing Hajime by the hand, he rushed towards the line and grabbed all the clothes. He took a oversized white shirt and ripped it into shreds while Hajime got dressed with a smaller shirt and pants. Taking the shreds of fabric, Nagito began to wrap Hajime's ears and exposed arms and legs. The merman began to whine a bit as the fabric began to feel suffocating.

"I know...just until we can get to a safe place." Nagito reassured him as he put on a new shirt. "Besides, that outfit looks good on you."

Hajime groaned as his cheeks grew red in embarrassment. He began scratching at his headwear but Nagito grabbed his hand and led him up.

The town was small, but very full of life. Stores for every necessity were found on the cobblestone paved streets. Hajime's eyes were widened in excitement as he took in every sight. The lively music flourished as Hajime began to clap along. Nagito was absentmindedly placing his hands in his pockets when he felt something familiar. He managed to pull out some money from one of the pockets and gasped. Quickly, he placed them back in hopes that no one saw.

Hajime saw a fisherman's market where he saw his favourite sea shells on display. He began to feel his stomach ache in hunger. Being a merman has its advantages, but it could be a disadvantage when you become a human. Merpeople have a higher metabolism so they can burn more energy.

Nagito saw him staring at the food. "Are you hungry?" Hajime looked away, shaking his head no. 'Still as stubborn as ever.' Nagito thought as he chuckled. Taking the boy's hand, he walked over to the salesclerk and bought all the shells they had in stock. Hajime was surprised when he saw the money coming out of Nagito's pocket.

Taking a bag filled with the shells, Nagito took Hajime further down the street with the latter whining for his food.

"Okay, here." Nagito said, giving the bag to his companion. "You can have some while I talk to someone in here." He pointed out to a barn like store which he knew as a carrier. "I know where to go."

"How?" Hajime asked, mouth full of food.

"I used to go to this town on occasion. I know someone further away who can keep us safe." Nagito replied, pulling the rest of the money out of his pockets.
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To Be Continued...