The Boy by the Shore (Olikase Vocaloid AU)

Chapter 16: Garnet

I woke up with a start, unable to tell if it was dawn or dusk. I was in a bed of plain beige; it was lumpy and tough and I couldn't imagine how I had possibly slept on it. I sat up, shoving away the blaring dizziness that assaulted me. From the looks of it, the room I was in was part of a log cabin. Layers of warm brown cedar lined the walls as filtered sun streamed in through a window opposite to my bed.

I tried to stand up, but a pang of vertigo shot through me. I cradled my head in my hands, pressing my palms to my eyes to staunch the dizziness.

After a few moments, the door clicked open.

Enter Fukase, holding a tray of breakfast foods—a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast with miniature jars of jam. The sunlight danced in a halo around his head, dyeing his hair in hues of gold and flaming garnet.

Wait, actually, was I still dreaming?

I gaped at him stupidly as he walked over and set the tray of steaming food on the table beside my bed.

"It's a relief that you're awake," he murmured, and sat himself down. "What happened back there? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I mumbled, reaching for the tray of food. "Where did all this food come from, by the way?" I was desperate to change the subject.

"After I brought you here, I decided to explore the cabin a bit, and I happened to find some food in the kitchen. It looks like someone lives here or was here recently—but I figured it would be fine if I could get them to understand our situation. If they come back."

I nodded, chewing my food thoughtfully. The bacon reminded me of home—of London. Yohio and I had eaten bacon very rarely in Japan, so I still mentally linked it to my earlier childhood.

"Say, where are we, anyway?"

"Actually, I thought you might know, since you were the one with the map and all."

I fished for the map in my pockets, but it was to no avail. I must've dropped it by the waterfall. I hadn't remembered seeing a cabin anywhere on the map, anyway. There was a small town, but as far as I could see outside the windows, it didn't seem as though we had reached civilization. This cabin was the only "building" for a while.

"Anyway, after you fainted—"

"Fainted? I don't faint."

"Fine, after you swooned—"

"Swooned!? That's even worse!"

"Whatever! After you passed out. How's that?" I nodded for him to continue. "After you passed out, I waited for a few minutes because I thought you'd wake up. But you didn't, so I looked for a place to stay for a while until you recovered."

"So... then... did you carry me the whole way here?"

"Yeah."

"What do you mean 'yeah?'"

"What else was I supposed to do?"

If only I could've stopped my ears from burning through sheer power of will. Just how strong was he, anyway? He surely didn't look muscular at all. Pushing the thought aside, I cleared my throat. "Well, anyhow, it's not like we can stay here forever," I sighed, "but I lost the map, we have no clue where we are, and no idea how to get back to the dock."

Fukase picked at the bedsheets absently. "We could just wait for whoever the owner of this cabin is to get back."

"But that could take ages," I replied. "What if they've gone to the mainland? What if they're planning to be gone for a while? Or what if this is just their vacation cabin and they don't really stay here?"