Sunset

Chapter 1

The earth beneath his feet was the only grounding thing in Kirishima's life, pun intended. It was the only thing that stayed the same, the only thing that didn't change; the feeling of freedom as he hiked along the many trails in the forests wherever he'd been sent to live.

This new home was no different than the others. Gotta love the foster care system; ya never stayed in one place too long. He wouldn't be surprised if they kicked him out by the end of the month, at this point.

That's okay, only one more year. One more, then he aged out. Just stick at it, is what he repeated to himself on a daily basis. Just one more day, and one after that, and so on.

It worked, for the most part.

Until then, he hiked. When the kids at school made him feel like dust? He hiked. When his new guardians would make him feel stupid? He hiked. When life made him want to die? He hiked.

Every day, he hiked. It'd gotten to the point where he'd damn near run out of trials; he'd gone back, and rewalked a handful of them dozens of times. But it didn't make any difference; it was still an escape.

That is, until he stumbled upon this last one. He wasn't surprised that he missed it; the thing was so unused, and overgrown that it barely resembled a trail at all.

"I'll keep you alive, bro," he muttered to himself as he scaled a rather steep hill, using nothing but his will, and a strangely grown tree to get himself up, "if you do the same for me. Deal?"

The tree, to be expected, didn't answer. But the conversation, though one sided, was still relieving.

"Deal."

Kirishima wasn't really quite aware of how close this particular trail came to the sea, until he saw the sunlight beaming off of the cool, subtle waves that kissed the shoreline. It caught his attention, no doubt, and called him towards it as if a sirens song had been playing on loop, just for him.

"That's pretty. You're one surprise after another, aren't you?"

The wind answered in the form of a lifting breeze that tossled his hair, and lined his clothing tight against his form, as the glow of the setting sun lit up the sweat on his face in a manner that made his skin appear as though it was made of glass.

He sat on a rather comfortable looking slab of stone that sat right along the edge of the therapeutic sea. A unique shore, this was; as there was no gradual incline at all. Just a ledge, and a plummeting, pool like drop off. If only the water had been clear enough to see just how far down it went. But alas, between the depth, and the jostled up sediment, he couldn't see much but a foot or so beneath the surface.

Didn't matter. Maybe it was better that way. It had its secrets, just as he had his.

"We're one in the same, aren't we?"

"I think the fuck not!"

The unknown voice echoed through the isolated bay, and made him jolt to his feet; nearly lost his balance in the process, "who's there?"

The faceless echo called out once more; their tone just as aggravated as before, "the owner of this fucking bay is who. Get out, ya trespasser!"

"Uh, I'm sorry, it was just a trail," his eyes traced the shoreline, and the surrounding forest in search of the individual, with no luck, "there wasn't a private property sign. I'm sorry."

"Private property sign," a laugh accompanied a rather sarcastic, and amused sigh, right before the water in front of him bubbled, and danced. Out of nowhere, a temperamental looking blonde boy broke through the surface, not even five feet in front of him. The red eyes he possessed bore daggers into his heart; and he'd be lying if he said it scared him. Quite the opposite, actually, "there shouldn't need to be one, trespasser. I'm telling you right now. My bay. My rules."