Chapter Text
Darkness engulfed the sky as Nalu and Ahi sat down on the sand, looking up at the stars together one last time. The sound of waves continuously crashing against the shore echo in the background. Their parents had divorced a month ago, and tomorrow was the day where their parents would rip them apart for god knows how long.
“I’m gonna miss you.” Ahi heard her brother whisper quietly next to her.
She glanced at him, but he kept his gaze upward, not wanting to meet her eyes. They had been inseparable since birth, of course it was difficult for them to part from one another. Surprisingly, the two did not resent their parents, they understood. It wasn’t easy on any of them, but the twins had always been understanding, it was in their nature.
Despite the painful ache in her heart, she smiled at him. “I’ll miss you too, but we’ll stay in touch won’t we?”
He nodded slowly, still not looking at her. “I never imagined we’d be apart this soon. I wish you could stay.”
“You know I can’t.” She looked down at her hands, her fingers playing with the matching charm bracelets they made for each other. “Dad needs me, and mom needs you. Besides, you’ll be fine, you’ve got Masaki and the others.”
Finally, he looked at her, their identical golden eyes locking with one another. “But you won’t have anyone.”
She could tell he was worried, it was written all over his face. “I’ll adapt, don’t worry about me, okay Nalu?” She scooted closer, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it reassuringly, resting her head on his shoulder. “Just take care of mom and the others for me. Promise?”
A sigh left his lips as he leaned his head on top of hers, squeezing her hand back. “I promise.”
The two sat there quietly, the moon shining down on them as they enjoyed each other's company for what would be the last time for a while.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps caught their attention as the two looked back. Their friends were all there, dressed in their wetsuits and carrying their boards.
“You didn’t think we’d let you have her all to yourself on her last day did you, Nalu?” William teased, running a hand through his silky hair.
“According to my statistical analysis, the waves should be just about perfect tonight.” Yuta spoke, wiggling his fingers as he calculated.
A smile graced William’s lips as he looked behind the group, motioning his arm as the lights lining the coast lit up. Masaki and Sho pulled Nalu to his feet, handing him his board as he took it gratefully.
William approached Ahi, stretching his hand towards her, giving her a charming smile. “Shall we?”
She smiled, taking his hand as he pulled her up. Kosuke came from behind William, handing Ahi her board as she grabbed it, thanking him with a smile. She watched as the two ran towards the water, joining the others who were already waiting on some good waves.
Anyone who saw Ahi’s expression as she watched the boys could tell that despite the affection and fondness evident in her expression, there was a noticeable speck of longing lingering in her gaze. She didn’t want to leave. She grew up in this place and she’s been surrounded by these people for years. But she chose to accept her reality rather than fight it, and allowed her father to take her away.
“Hey, Ahi! You coming or what?” Masaki called out from closeby.
Sho appeared next to him. “You’re gonna lose the waves, hurry up!” He laughed.
She smiled, shaking her head as she began running towards the water. “Leave some for me!”
“No way!” William teased, he had just finished riding another wave so he was close to shore. “If you want the wave, you gotta catch it first.” He winked at her as he began paddling out.
“Oh, you’re on!” She laughed as she jumped in, landing smoothly on her board as she began paddling, slowly catching up to William. “If I catch you, you’re dead!”
His eyes widened as he began paddling faster. “I said catch the wave not me!”
She ignored his words as she continued chasing after the poor boy who began heading towards Nalu who was conversing with Yuta and Kosuke, the three were simply floating and seated on their boards.
“Nalu! Your sister’s gone crazy!” William shrieked, he flinched as he felt her hand brush past his ankle, barely failing to catch it. “Save me!”
“You’re on your own, city boy.” Nalu grinned, laying down on his board as he watched Ahi chase after him, Yuta and Kosuke laughing beside him.
It was only a moment later that Ahi managed to grab his ankle, tugging him off his board. He tried to cling on for dear life, but to no avail, he landed in the water. “ACK!”
The group’s laughter rang through the air, watching as William broke through the surface again, latching himself onto his board, coughing out the salt water he accidentally swallowed.
“That *pant* was *pant* uncalled for.” He shot her a playful glare, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Now it’s your turn.”
Her eyes widened. “W-Wait hang on- OH SHIT.” William pounced on her, knocking her into the water.
Masaki eyed Nalu.
Feeling a burning gaze on him, Nalu made eye contact with Masaki. In an instant, he could already tell what Masaki was thinking. “Corgi.” He spoke warily as said boy slowly floated towards him.
“Corgi, no!” Nalu began paddling away as Masaki chased after him.
“Come here, Murphy!” Masaki grinned as he tailed him.
The rest of the group gave each other certain looks, all of them suddenly breaking off. Some swam away while others chased after them. Laughter rang through the air as the group chased after one another, dragging and pushing each other off their boards and into the water.
__________
The bonfire crackled as the group sat around it, each of them with a towel draped over their shoulders as they warmed up. They had played in the water for about an hour before they decided to get back on shore as the wind picked up.
Nalu, who sat between Masaki and Ahi as usual, had his ukulele in his arms as he played random tunes, humming along. The rest of the group enjoyed it as they conversed with one another. Ahi simply watched her brother play his ukulele, tucking in her knees and resting her head on her arms.
This was the hardest part for her, she couldn’t see ahead without her brother with her. Her throat tightened painfully as she tried to hold back her tears. On instinct, Nalu’s gaze fell on his sister. The moment their eyes met, her tears began to fall.
He stopped playing, putting down his ukulele and pulling her into his arms as she cried. The rest of the group fell in silence, not realizing their own tears pooling in their eyes as they watched the heart wrenching scene play out before them.
All of them were hurting, but each of them understood that the bond between the twins was something that even they as their closest friends could not comprehend. They couldn’t imagine how painful it must be for the two, they came like two peas in a pod. They would never see one without the other, and to witness the twins’ last moments together with their very own eyes right before they would be ripped away from one another was something that hurt them deeply.
They had seen Ahi cry a few times throughout the years, but even those were rare. But to see Nalu with tears in his eyes for the very first time increased the ache in their hearts by tenfold. The only ones who weren’t crying were Rindo and William.
“Cold hearted jerks.” Masaki grunted, wiping his eyes.
The others couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t expect everyone to be crybabies like you, Corgi.” Nalu gave him a teasing smile, wiping away his own tears. He released Ahi from the hug and let his arm rest over her shoulders.
“I’m gonna miss you all.” She sniffled, giving them her signature grin. “Don’t forget me okay?”
“You idiot.” Masaki began crying again, Sho simply smiled, rolling his eyes as he comforted the boy. “Of course we won’t forget you.” He whined.
William elbowed Ahi playfully from beside her. “You totally did that on purpose.” She smiled, nodding gently.
Nalu stood up, stretching his arms out. “Well, the night is still pretty young. I think it’s safe to say we still have a lot of time to kill before we say our last goodbyes.” He looked down, stretching a hand out to his sister. “What do you think?”
She grabbed onto his hand as he pulled her up. “I think the same.” She smiled as the two looked at their group of friends, each of them had a knowing look on their face.
“Well.” William stood up next, dusting away the sand on his legs. “It wouldn’t be a very fond memory if it only consisted of sitting around a campfire.”
“I wonder what you troublemakers have in mind this time.” Kosuke sighed as he and the rest of the group stood from the ground as well.
Yuta stretched his arms above his head. “Ah well, I guess it's safe to say this is gonna be a long night.”
__________
“So this is really it huh.” Nalu sighed, his arm slung over his sister’s shoulders. “I never imagined that this would be how we split. I always thought it would be us parting ways after we graduate highschool, maybe even college.”
Ahi looked up at him, grinning. “Well, it was close enough, wasn’t it? We’ll be seniors next year.”
He looked down at her before suddenly pulling her into a tight hug. “Stay safe, okay? Look after dad for me.”
“And you look after mom for me. I’m not too worried about your safety though, you’ve got these seven dimwits looking after you.” She gestured to the seven boys standing behind them.
William stepped forward, pushing Nalu’s arm off her shoulders and replacing it with his own before tugging her towards him. “Stop being so greedy, I want to say bye to her too you know?”
Ahi couldn’t help but laugh as she returned the hug. “What are you all gonna do without me.”
“Ah yes, the mother hen leaves her eight baby chicks to fend for themselves as she abandons the nest.” Yuta grins, pushing up his glasses.
Rindo gives him a look, “Don’t include me in your weird analogy.”
“Come on Rindo, just say you’ll miss me and be done with it.” Ahi grins at him, releasing herself from William’s grip and opening her arms up towards Rindo. “Come.” She called.
His mouth formed a straight line, feigning irritation and reluctance, but all of them knew he wanted that hug anyway. They all looked away as they held in their laughs as Rindo hugged Ahi. Knowing he’d get angry with them if they did.
“Well don’t go hogging all of her now.” Sho finally interrupted, stealing her from Rindo’s arms before engulfing her in a tight hug, giving her a light squeeze before letting go. “Take care of yourself, Ahi.”
“Of course.” She smiled. “Make sure to watch over them for me, okay? Especially Nalu and Corgi.” She extended her pinky towards him as he reached out his hand and interlocked their fingers.
Masaki approached her next, squeezing her tightly. “Take care, Ahi.”
He released her and she turned towards Kido, giving him a tight hug. “I hope Miruru continues to watch over you, Naoya.” The boy simply smiled as he returned the hug, giving her a light squeeze before letting go, giving her a slight nod.
Finally, she turned to the last two, Yuta and Kosuke. Opening her arms with a wide grin as the two returned her smile, moving in and giving her a small group hug. “I’m gonna miss you guys. Kosuke, you and your constant nagging, and Yuta’s daily wave updates whenever I come to visit you two.”
“Next time, we’ll be the ones visiting you.” Kosuke tightened his arms around her.
The three broke off from the hug as Ahi looked at each of them, a smile on her face. “It might be a while before we meet again, but I want you all to know that one way or another, we’ll come back to each other again. After all,” She gave them a knowing look as her grin widened. “We’re all connected by the same ocean, aren’t we?”
Unbeknownst to Ahi, those words had hit them a lot harder than she would ever realize. She reached her arm out to the centre of the group, and one by one they all had their arms in as they cheered.
“Ahi.” The group turned towards the twins’ father. “It’s time to go.”
The atmosphere that was once bright and lively had suddenly turned glum as they all looked at Ahi. She nodded, walking towards her father as they approached the flight gate. She turned to look back at her friends one last time and she couldn’t help but grin inwardly seeing her friends look like a group of sad puppies as they watched her leave. Giving them one last reassuring smile, she waved at them before entering the flight gate. There’s no turning back now.
She took a seat next to her dad in the boarding zone, waiting for their plane silently before her father spoke. “I’m sorry it turned out this way.” He began. “I wanted to keep you two together, but your mother needed at least one of you, and I know she couldn’t support both of you either.”
Grabbing his hand, she gave it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay dad, Nalu and I both understand. We know it’s hard for both of you as well.”
Her dad gave her a weak smile, pulling her in for a side hug. “I’m glad I have both of you, I’ll make sure you two get to see each other again soon. I promise.”
She nodded, staring at their intertwined hands. “Thanks dad.”
__________
“It’s a little bit warmer out here.” Ahi pointed out as she and her father walked out of Miyako airport.
He nodded, the two of them dragging their hand carry luggages along. “It is, let’s head over to the taxi stop quickly so we can settle as soon as possible.”
She followed her father to the taxi stop and before she knew it the two of them had arrived in front of their new home. It was a simple traditional Japanese style home and it was an average size for a normal family. Since it was just the two of them, the space would be more than enough.
“Hey dad?” Ahi called, wiping sweat from her forehead as the two of them shifted through their move-in boxes. “Why did we move all the way here of all places?”
Her father looked at her. “This is the place where I grew up, I found a job that pays nicely for us to live comfortably here.” He hesitated before continuing. “And, I wanted you to see the place I grew up in.”
She smiled brightly. “Then… I hope you’ll show me around once we finish settling down.”
He nodded, smiling back at her. “Of course.” He hoisted up another box. “First, let’s finish up as quickly as we can.”
She obeyed, following her dad as she piled two boxes together before hoisting them up and carrying them to her room. She slid the door open, admiring her blank canvas, multiple room designs running through her mind.
But there was one idea that stuck with her. Lately, she had been interested in pictures on the wall, luckily she had a bunch of photobooks from throughout the years. Each filled with pictures of her with her friends, family, and their adventures.
As she travelled back and forth in the house, she meticulously planned out how she would plant the frames around her walls and how she would set up her bedroom. She made sure to leave space for everything, her new room was the perfect size for her to fit everything perfectly.
Hours had passed by and before she knew it, the sun was already going down. Her and her dad were able to set up rather quickly and they should be able to finish setting their general home by the evening so she could probably begin her room by tomorrow.
She decided to stroll around the new neighborhood before the sun fully set. “I’m gonna go for a ride! I’ll be back later to help finish setting up!” She called out to her dad who yelled out an ‘okay’ in reply.
She grabbed her skateboard and put on her rubber shoes. She was dressed in her usual red flowered hawaiian style shirt buttoned halfway up, a plain black triangle bralette, and a pair of denim shorts. It was her usual get up for going out, her brother had the same shirt, they’d always match.
Sliding the door to her new home shut behind her, she took in deep breaths, admiring the new view she’d have everytime she would leave her new home. She put her hair up into a high ponytail and wore her mask, her hand instinctively reaching for the necklace she wore around her neck. It was a gift their parents gave them when they were born, a matching pair of cross necklaces.
Looking up at the sky, a smile made its way to her face as she wondered about her brother. She felt reassured, even though they were far apart, they were still under the same sky, and that was more than enough to help her get by.
With that she took off, cruising through the streets hoping to familiarize herself with the new roads. She reminisced the times where she would go surfing with her brother and their friends, recalling their promise to reach high above to world level in surfing.
It was something that they were clinging on to, but like her brother she was a free surfer, she was extremely skilled, no doubt thanks to her practicing skateboarding. The only reason she pursued surfing on a more serious level was so that she could stick with her brother and friends. They always teased her that it was a waste of talent that she wasn’t as set on world championships, but she didn’t mind that, she just wanted to be around the people she loved. That was enough for her.
Suddenly she caught sight of a small skate park. The faint sound of wheels rolling across the concrete filled her ears. She entered the skate park and saw two boys who looked to be around her age, skating around.
She decided to sit back and watch, letting her board lean against the wall as she observed the two skaters. She noticed the blue haired boy’s talent almost immediately, but even so she couldn’t ignore the connection she felt between the two. Almost as if, despite the redhead being a mediocre skater, it felt like he brought out the talent and skill of the former.
Too busy drowning in her thoughts, she didn’t realize the two had taken notice of her and were now approaching her.
“You’re a longboarder?” The redhead spoke up suddenly as she jumped in shock. “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!” He apologized quickly.
She couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I’m sorry, I should’ve paid more attention.” She waved him off. “But yes, I’m a longboarder.”
“Mind if I take a look at your board?” He asked.
Smiling, she shook her head and handed him her board. “Names?” She asked, tilting her head.
“I’m Reki, and this is Langa.” The redhead pointed at the latter.
“Ahi.” She introduced herself. “I just moved here today.”
“Really?” Langa asked.
She nodded, opening her mouth to reply when Reki interrupted her. “Langa actually moved here pretty recently too! He just started skating.”
“Really? He doesn’t look like a beginner.” She eyed the blue haired boy who rubbed his neck shyly.
Reki grinned proudly, placing a hand on Langa’s shoulder. “Right? He’s really talented.” A slight blush formed on Langa’s cheeks at the compliment.
“I noticed Langa’s board is quite special.” Ahi pointed out, looking down at the modified board. “It looks pretty awesome, you must be really talented to be able to ride a board like that.”
“He used to snowboard! That’s why he needed all those modifications made by yours truly!” Reki boasted proudly.
Ahi smiled at that. “It’s a really cool board, maybe I should have you design one for me sometime.”
“O-Oh-” Reki’s eyes widened, as if he didn’t expect the girl to actually acknowledge his talent. “Well, if you insist!” He jumped excitedly.
She nodded, his contagious energy leeching itself onto her as she smiled at the bright boy. He reminded her of Masaki. “Care to skate?” She asked, standing up and dusting off her legs.
An excitement flashed in their eyes as they nodded eagerly, jumping onto their boards as they continued skating around the park. She picked up her board, unhinging it and folding it, turning it into a skateboard before securing it and setting it down.
That caught Reki’s attention as he stared in awe, not paying attention to the direction he was heading and ultimately causing him and Langa to bump into each other. Ahi’s head shot up from the commotion as she rushed over to the two who were now on the ground.
“Are you guys okay?” She helped them up.
“Sorry.” Reki apologized sheepishly, “Your board… did you fix that up yourself?” He asked.
She shook her head. “I had a friend back where I used to live, he made this custom board for me on my 16th birthday.”
“It must’ve been expensive.” Reki stated as he dusted himself off. “I noticed the entire board was made of really high quality material.”
She simply grinned at him. “Yeah, I felt bad for accepting such an expensive present but I’d feel even worse if I rejected it when he made it for me. He even designed it himself.” She looked down at the gold-painted board, an intricate flower-like design situated at the board’s centre.
“It’s a really nice board.” Langa complimented.
She nodded, looking at the two with a bright smile. “He designed it identically to his board. Shall we skate?”
The two looked at each other before looking back at her with a grin, nodding their heads as they hopped onto their boards. She followed suit, hopping onto her skateboard and making swift and precise movements through the park.
Seeing the two at a pretty good distance away from the free space, she took the opportunity and made her way to the clear zone, pulling off a quick nollie before stopping the board to take a break.
Almost immediately, Reki approached her and stopped next to her. “That was a perfect nollie!” He complimented excitedly. “I’m still learning to master it fully, but I’ve already mastered an ollie!”
“Then it shouldn’t take much time before you master a nollie.” She smiled at the bright boy.
“You seem like a really great skater.” Langa said as he approached the two before looking in Reki’s direction. “It’s open tonight, isn’t it?”
Reki nodded as Ahi looked at them with confusion. “What’s open tonight?”
“First, are you free midnight tonight? I’ve got an extra stub.” Reki turned to her.
She nodded, “I think I’m free tonight.”
“Great, meet us here at 11:30. You’re in for an adventure.” Reki grinned excitedly. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Don’t miss it!”
“You’ve piqued my interest, how could I?” She smiled despite her confusion until she realized the time. “Ah, I’ve got to head home now, my dad will be worried. I’ll see you guys tonight!” She waved at the two, unhinging her skateboard back into a longboard before cruising off.
When she arrived home she greeted her dad immediately and made sure to let him know she was going to head out again later that night. He was reluctant at first, but he trusted her and knew she could protect herself. He knew his daughter had a good intuition after all.
They dined together, sharing a bowl of his homemade ramen before they continued setting up the house. They agreed to finish for the day by 11:00pm, that way she would be able to rest before leaving.
It was almost time to leave and Ahi was getting her board ready. She stood in the centre of her room, admiring the work she’d done. It was clean and organized, all of her clothes were folded neatly into her closet. Her new futon was situated against the centre of the wall, in between the sliding door and the window. She taped a few pictures against the wall, all of which carried her favorite memories.
There were pictures of the various beaches with her and the group when they had followed William when he would host competitions throughout the years. She also had pictures with each member of their friend group and pictures of her family when they were altogether. Majority of the wall was, of course, filled with pictures of her and Nalu.
She grabbed her board, giving the room one last proud glance before sliding the door shut. Not forgetting to bid her dad goodbye before she left.
When she finally neared the park, she recognized the two figures standing by at the entrance. As soon as they caught sight of her, excitement took over their expressions and she couldn’t help but smile at the two. “Am I late?”