Friends

short scene, skipping between the now and then of two friends

   Lightning cracked and thunder roared, the storm was too much for the mid-sized ship. “Yuki!” Ryu screamed, not even trying to hide the fear and compassion in his voice like he had for so long, as he watched his life-long friend slowly fall into the dark, icy water below. Time stopped the instant that Yuki submerged completely under the water; nothing else existed to Ryu except the snapping and crumbling of his hart breaking. He was jolted back into the world by the deafening howl of the sailors shouting, Ryu turned around as the fifty foot wave rose out of the water like a phantom looking for its next victim, a wave of blue and white swirling together with no beginning or end, a wave of dark, icy water that Yuki had just met face to face. Ryu gazed upon it but did not understand what was happening. The wave picked up the ship like a child would a toy boat and dropped it as such. As Ryu fell and crashed into the rolling sea, his memories came flooding back into his mind. How did I get into this? Was his last thought before his memories of how it all began over took him.

  The sun was shining bright and hot on Ryu’s face. Hmmm, today feels good, I think something good is going to happen. Oh well, the warmth is nice, I’ll just go back to sleep. Ryu’s happy thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice. “Get up!” a moment passed and a woman walked into the room. “Did you hear me? Get up!” The woman looked quite average with her brown hair, and normal figure, but her eyes; her eyes shone like a thousand stars, filled with knowledge and innocence as if she was ten, they were kind and wise eyes but also stern eyes not afraid to say don’t mess with me. “God.” Ryu groaned with out moving “Five more minutes woman.” She wiped her hands on a filthy towel, apparently used for everything, and folded her arms. “You said that, ten minutes ago.”  Ha, like I care, thought Ryu as he pulled the covers over his head to block out the sun and the woman’s voice. “It’s a shame that Yuki will have to wait longer.” the woman said with a snicker. “What!” The woman turned around at lightning speed as Ryu jumped out of bed, grabbed the closest pair of pants, and hopped through the doorway while putting his pants on. “You’re going to get hurt like that!” The woman shouted after him. “No I won-“ there was a stampede of wild animals, or perhaps it was just a chair toppling over. “Crap!” came the voice of a very irritated teenager through the door way. ”Told you.” Said the woman as she walked into the room arms folded to see Ryu on the floor clutching his foot and a chair on its side three feet away. ”This would never happen if you would just tell me Yuki’s here.” Ryu said inspecting his slightly bruised toe. “Mother dearest” he added almost mockingly. “Yes it would.” The woman who was his mother replied in a board sort of tone. “Even if I had told you the first time you would still have hopped around like some crazed old maniac, then you would be yelling at me for not tell you sooner. Besides, one would think its obvious, he comes here every day.” “What ever you say.” Was the last thing Ryu said as he ran out the door. It’s a shame he didn’t know what lay ahead for him that day, for if he had maybe he would have said something more like, “I love you mom.” or “Thanks for everything mom.” or even a “See you later mom.” But alas all he had to say was “What ever.”       

   Cold; Cold and wet; that was it; that was all Ryu could feel. I’m still on the ship. I’m wet because there was a leak. It was just a nightmare. He told him self over and over again, afraid of opening his eyes and afraid of what he would see. I’m still on the ship so, I shouldn’t be afraid, the men need help.  Ryu was in denial, he knew that what had happen in his so called nightmare was true. That he was not still on the ship. That he was wet because the ship had crashed. That Yuki had fallen into the dark, cold, rolling waves of the sea and….and, he couldn’t imagine it. No! He didn’t! He didn’t die!  On the count of three….. one…..two…..two and a half…..three. Ryu opened his eyes. 

   As always, Ryu, rushing out the door like someone was chasing him with a sharp object, forgot about the board that sticks up just enough for someone to trip, and of course, fell face first into the dirt right in front of Yuki. “Have a nice trip?” Yuki said stifling a laugh. “See you next fall.” He replied in their usual manner. As the two burst out in laughter Ryu took a good look at his friend, he was handsome, with blonde hair blue eyes, the pretty-boy of the town. All the girls chased after him, yet he wasn’t interested. This was puzzling to him, he would love to have girls chasing him all the time, but every time he would say this all he would get in response was a “Trust me, you don’t, all these girls are interested in are looks.” Other then Yuki’s looks he also was smart, he thought everything through as if it was one big puzzle or question and he was scarcely wrong. Compared to Yuki, Ryu was just an average chip of the rock kid. Ryu had brown hair and brown eyes, he would just say or do the first thing that popped in his head that seemed right, and although a few ladies liked him he didn’t have a fan club like Yuki. The only thing they had in common was that they were both fairly athletic, although, Ryu was a bit better, and he shoved it in Yuki’s face every chance he got. They were opposites but they were best friends. And soon their friendship would be put to the test. 

  “So, what’s today’s schedule?” Yuki asked like every other day. ”Hmmmm…… don’t know……. Bakers? He has some good stuff.” “Sure, why not.” “Race you!” “Fine!” ”One…Two” Ryu took off, running with the wind at his back. “Hay! No fair!” Yuki yelled after him, and laughed as he too ran off.

  Ryu ran, and ran. He ran as fast as he could just like yesterday and the day before that. He watched the buildings go by. The town was a good sized town; it wasn’t big and fancy like the cities along the ocean with their dozens of shops and harbors that could hold a hundred ships, yet not as small as the villages up in the mountains that Ryu had heard only get their food from the surrounding land (actually the majority of people that Ryu knew got most of their food from hunting). Ryu remembered a traveler calling the town Basscerf, but he had never heard anyone he knew give it that name. The shops were plain and simple, not bright or colorful; it was almost like they were only there for show. There was one shop for each need, everyone knew which was which; and because there were few travelers, there was no need for advertisement. They were brimming with goods for the traders had just come through the thick mountains that blocked the way to the sea. Yes, every thing was just fine.

  When Ryu got to the bakers he waited for Yuki, waving and smiling at everyone that passed by and even kicking back some young boys’ ball, when he finally showed up they went inside the happy old shop. “Why hello boys, the normal I presume.” “Why yes, thank you my good man.” Ryu replied acting like one of the old men in town, who are always proper and dressed way too fancy to be trusted in Ryu’s mind. “Har har har! No matter how many times you do that it still cracks me up!” The baker said with a jolly good roar. Ryu took one look at the baker laughing and started laughing himself. The baker was shorter then most grown people and was plump, so he jiggled and shook when he laughed, but every one loved him, for he was always looking for a laugh and always nice, giving an occasional free hot bun or sweet to the children. “Alright here you go.” The baker said still chuckling. The boys started to take out there money when he interrupted “Hold it now, I know you two think that when ever something different happens in yall’s schedule its going to be a special day.” The baker said with a grin. “Wait a sec, we don’t have no schedule. And what are you saying?” Ryu said with a sly look. “Yes, what are you saying?” Yuki said with a look of curiosity to him. “Number one, I could tell the time by yall running around to the same place every day. And two, I might be saying nothing or I might be saying the sweets on the house.”    

  The two boys had thanked the baker and started to walk down the street to their next destination when Yuki spoke up, “You know, maybe we should do something different today.” “Shame on you, we do not do the same thing every day! And what are you getting at?” Ryu asked before taking a bite of his treat, giving the same sly look he gave the baker to Yuki. “Look, all I’m saying is that we have some extra money, maybe we should do something with it, and we kind of do.” Now, I’ve always thought it odd how at the same time these words had left Yuki’s mouth Ryu and Yuki came to the end of the road were you can go to the left and go towards some of the better houses, or to the right and end up lost in the forest or mountains. However, there is one more choice, although most people pass it up, if you continue strait you can take a treacherous clime up a hill and on top of this hill is an old creaky house( I wouldn’t be surprised if it was haunted) with a tent equally as creepy as the house behind it. This was a fortuneteller’s house.

   Ryu was looking strait up into a sea of green, his fears diminished for a moment as he gazed transfixed into the heavens. What a nice day. But then, a picture of Yuki falling into the depths of the sea, a fifty-foot wave rising up and coming back down, his life-long friend’s face twisted in fear. Oh God, Yuki! Ryu sat up, at first he was confused; he hadn’t realized that the sea of green he had been so intent on was the sun shining through the leaves of many trees, so when he sat up Ryu was looking at the trunks of those trees. Where am I? How did I get here? Ryu was petrified he had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. He started to scamper away, he ran for what seemed like hours when he broke through the trees. Ryu was on the beach, wave after wave came and went, and there was no land in sight. Some where behind him a twig snapped, “wh-who’s th-there?” Ryu said almost in a whisper as he wiped around. There was no answer.          

                       

          

             

 

Author's Note

just found this floating around in teh C drive of my computer, thought to post it, writen way back when.... 4 years ago?