Mysteries in the Jungle (Junjou Romantica)

[19]

After dealing with the ramifications of the escapees attempt at leaving, the rest of the passengers tossed any lingering thoughts of escape out their minds. Seeing the physical results of panic and stubbornness for themselves, no one wanted to die at sea and become fish food. Many of them didn't know how to swim either, bringing a level of fear of the ocean itself from the mental images of drowning. Almost every single passenger stayed in the village area, not wanting to step foot onto the sandy beaches.

Nowaki had no such qualms.

Without fear of the ocean, more so, the resignation to the situation at hand, Nowaki went along with his usual activities. He woke up earlier that morning, dressed up, and left his home for the beach. He needed to have alone time to himself. Away from everyone and his own fiance. Hiroki left before sunrise for his own errands of the day, so he sneaked off on his own.

The closer he made it to the ocean, seeing the crisp and still water, provided a sense of uneasiness inside of him. Remembering the resting place of those people who left, made him have a slight feeling of hesitation. Still, he persisted, walking through the now familiar paths, losing himself in his thoughts.

Sitting on a broken down portion of a tree, Nowaki stared at the crystal clear blue water. Decked out in a skirt and sandals, he dressed for the current heat wave which spread throughout the island. His friends whined about the sudden rise in temperature, as if they forgot about the heat waves from their country and stayed away from exposed areas. Although, the sudden drastic changes of weather brought some of them to develop a cold, leaving them to whine in their somewhat comfortable beds.

Locating a tree which fell down during the storm, he walked over and chose a comfortable enough spot to sit on. Scratching his head, he kept a straight face as he watched waves go back and forth on the sand.

Arms wrapped around him, jerking Nowaki from his thoughts. Snapping his head to the side, he caught Hiroki's amused eyes staring down at him. "Hiroki-san!"

"Hello." Hiroki bit his bottom lip to cease his oncoming smile.

Nowaki felt Hiroki run his fingers through his hair, a comforting gesture Hiroki discovered whenever he became stressed. Losing tension in his shoulders, he muttered with a blissful sigh. "Hiroki-san..."

"Feeling better?"

"A bit." Nowaki leaned his head back, Hiroki rubbed his temples.

Hiroki asked him. "Are you alright?"

"What do you mean? I'm alright."

"Nowaki, I'm talking about processing the end result of..."

"Oh." Nowaki gulped. "It hit me last night. All things considered; I think I'm not too traumatized. I will never speak ill of the dead, but they didn't deserve to die in such a way."

Hiroki moved his hands down from Nowaki's hair toward his shoulders, caressing the skin with his calloused hands. Nowaki shivered underneath his fingers. "I know your friends are not taking it well."

"Yeah." Nowaki turned, peering up at Hiroki underneath his lashes. "I think...this incident stomped down any lingering hope in their minds. Although, I have seen many of them settle down with someone or are with one another."

Hiroki made a noise of confirmation.

Turning his gaze back toward the ocean, Nowaki requested. "Hold me."

"I can do that." Hiroki curled his arms around Nowaki, doing nothing more than embracing him tight. A few heartbeats later, Hiroki let out a sigh. "I heard you walking around during the night, Nowaki."