Chapter Text
It was like riding a bike and falling off, you have to get right back on unless you want to have an irrational fear for the rest of your life. So when Noodle asked Chiyoko how she could repay her for nursing her back to health and the old woman told her that she could be her apprentice and help her dive for pearls for her business, Noodle took the opportunity and ran with it. Or rather swam with it.
They were on a more southern island of Japan, so all she needed was a swim costume and a pair of goggles and she was good to go, especially while it was still summer. She’d had plenty of practice with holding her breath so she was fine in that area.
She watched Chiyoko dive for pearls later to learn how to do it. She teached Noodle how to properly open a clam without destroying it and how to efficiently extract the pearl from it.
When Noodle woke up the next morning, she ate and changed, figuring it would be smarter to bathe after being in the ocean. Chiyoko led her to the edge of the docks, further from where the fishers were so she wasn’t hurt with their hooks and left Noodle with a bucket to put the clams in.
Once she watched Chiyoko leave, Noodle wasted no time thinking and dove in head first. If an old woman could do it, so could she. As soon as the water touched her fingertips, it immediately shocked her to her very core. But she had dealt with worse, so she forced her body to stay straight and kept her breath held tight and before she knew it, she plunged into the water. It was warm at first, something she wasn’t used to, but the deeper her body went it became colder and colder. To take her mind off of it, she focused on the fish surrounding her. Multicolored and content.
She would take a deep breath, but…
Spotting a cluster of clams, she moved her arms forward and pushed back repeatedly while kicking her legs. She grabbed some of the biggest ones and swam up. She broke the surface and gasped for air.
That wasn’t so bad. She tried reassuring herself.
But even with her head above the surface it felt like the water was slowly forming a whirlpool around her and was going to pull her under, never to resurface again.
But no, it was fine, she just needed more time. It took her a bit longer than usual to get back on the bike, but she was on now, that should mean something right? Still, she made her way up the ladder on the edge of the dock faster than she would’ve liked to. She dropped her finds into the bucket and heaved a sigh of relief. Despite the warm water and the even more warm and humid day, she found herself shivering. So she immediately jumped back in again, not waiting for her breath to fully return. All she needed to do was fill the bucket. Then she could just sit here on the dock, peel the clams open, and retrieve some pearls to bring back to Chiyoko.
Only it seemed each time she dove in, it got worse and worse. Each time she climbed up the ladder faster than before. And each time she dropped more clams into the bucket, the stronger the urge to heave her breakfast into it became.
“Dōdatta?” Chiyoko asked when Noodle walked through the front door with a bucket of shiny, unpolished and rough pearls.
“Daijōbu.” Noodle smiled and showed her her finds.
Chiyoko smiled back and Noodle went off to bathe.
Dinner was waiting for her when she was done. They ate together in silence until Chiyoko asked if Nooodle also wanted to help her with polishing the pearls. Making them into the beautiful, symmetrical, spheres on necklaces and bracelets a thirteen year old Noodle used to eye while outside the windows of the Vivienne Westwood store in London. Of course she said yes, it sounded meditating. A satisfying end to a day of struggle and near sickness.
Although tomorrow she’d have to get back on the bike. Which sounded like a trial, but if she was anything, it was stubborn, and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in this case.
She’ll find her balance and conquer this fear before she’s even realized it.
—
“Are ya gonna go in the water or just stand there all day?” Ace joked.
Noodle smiled, “I’m just not in the mood.”
“You’re never in the mood! Come on girl, live a little! The water is super warm.”
“Maybe tomorrow, don’t wait for me.” She shoved him forward with one hand, causing him to stumble quite a bit before he landed face first into a small wave.
“You're killing me!” He mock-whined once he resurfaced and she just grinned.
She fell off the bike and it hurt more to get back on than the actual falling did. She still didn’t know why or how that was possible.