Chapter Text
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"Mother, our class is going on a field trip," An orange-red haired boy nervously handed his mother a piece of paper with a blank asking for a signature.
"To where?" His mother looked at the scrap indignantly, "Aquarium?" She frowned, looking down at him, "Why would they take you to such a place, the ocean is filled with nothing but trouble, there's no need for your school to get young minds interested in such a dangerous place."
Fujimoto looked at the floor; he very much wanted to go on the trip. He liked water creatures and the ocean from what he'd seen at school, but even though their home was only a 25 minute train ride from the Japanese coastline, he had never seen the ocean with his own eyes, nor had he ever been swimming. His mother, since he was little, drilled into his head that all the ocean does is take, kill, and cause trouble – in her words 'Suijin-sama has never done us any favors'. She had never liked the sea, but became hateful of it when Fujimoto's father died at it's hands.
She always thought her husband would be killed in the war, the same war that ended when their old city was bombed by the most devastating attack known to man. An attack that by the graces of Kami they were not in because they had moved closer to the coast to be near her husband's military base. But the naval officer that was Fujimoto's father, and all the men in his division, died in a tsunami that broke their ship in two. A death without honor for once great men of war. Obviously Suijin-sama had cursed their family.
"I'm not signing this," She handed the paper back to him indignantly.
Fujimoto was angry. Just because his mother was scared of the sea, why must he be barred from it? HE wasn't afraid or hateful of it. Even if it took his father, if kami thought it was his time it was his time, he understood that. He was more afraid of his fellow 2nd graders than an expanse of water -they were something to be feared, he thought, with the teasing he endured.
So he forged her signature.
His teacher could tell right away, and scolded him for it.
Fujimoto cried and whimpered, telling about his mother and how his father died and how much he just wanted to see the ocean. His teacher's face softened. She knew how this child was not good with the other children, and for him to be so fervent about something was unusual. She also had not known about his circumstances.
She made him promise to not tell his mother she let him go on the trip.
Never had he been so happy. The other children had to drag him way from every tank, each one more wondrous than the last. He had seen pictures in books, and a bit on video shown in school on a tiny screen (he didn't have a tv at home), but to see it live was so completely different! The colors, the shapes, the variety! So many otherworldly creatures! The beauty of the water, the sea plants – it was inspiring. He listened intently to every word their young tour guide said about the animals and plants, while other kids wandered off and talked to each other.
After that day, the most marvelous of his whole young life, he knew what the wanted to do when he grew up.