Stolen Pt 1: The S7 Synthia

It was a cool spring day in Latifa, a small town of one of the twelve chain islands of Lacrima. Near a secluded beach, a young pair inch their way towards the ocean. A cheeky looking lad guides a blindfolded girl towards the ocean.

"Um, are we there yet?" She asked.

"Nope. Not yet."

"This...doesn't involve me getting myself wet does it?" She furrows her brow.

For some reason, he found this sentence amusing. He laughed. Her lips pursed as unease crept its way inside. Yet after his snickering, all he had to say was "Who knows..."

Assana: (o n o)...

She felt so disturbed she wanted to smack him. She didn't mind in the beginning when he said he had a surprise for her but if it involved ocean water...

Snatching away her arm as the sound of the ocean waves grew louder, she hurries down back the path they came only to trip over a rock.

"Sana!"

The lad hurries to her side. She rips off the blindfold and winces.

"Are you okay?" He lifts up the skirt of her dress- The lass only ever wore dresses so long they reached her ankles- and inspected her foot. "Did you hurt it?"

She swatted his hand away.

"..." Assana gazed in the direction of her house feeling embarrassed. Why would she run blindfolded? She should have taken it off first, ah...

"Don't you trust me?" Seeing that nothing was wrong that lad stooped down to study her with a rare serious expression.

"I... really don't like the ocean." She said with her gaze fixed towards her house. The lad watched her bite her lips and look towards the sand rather shamefully before finally nodding.

"Got it."

He got it? Just what did he get? Though they knew each other for two years, Assana had yet to know what went on inside the head of the lad before her, Chihiro Hunter. This always bothered her but she thought that with relationships all things took time and he would open up to her eventually. As Chihiro returned her gaze, for some reason a slow smile stretched across his lips exposing his silver canines. The rest of his teeth were a normal white except for those two. Whenever she saw them she had the urge to touch them.

"Then can I carry you?"

Assana squinted at him. His gaze carried a glint of mischief as he raised his eyebrows at her. Now, this was the usual Hiro she knew. Forever scheming something. He waited until she nodded before tying back on the blindfold and lifted her with ease. As the sound of the ocean waves grew closer, she stiffened and wrapped her arms and legs around his neck similar to a koala would a tree branch.

"I absolutely can't get wet. Really, I'm serious!"

"...Okay." The end of his voice was tinged as if holding back laughter. Was she imagining it but did the air around him improve from earlier? Was he happy? He always seemed happy so she felt confused.

The sound of Hiro's legs wading through the water made her wrap her legs around him even higher, but there was no need for him to fear for as soon as he went into his knees he took a large leap.

"Were here....Sana..." He croaked and tapped at her arms which were nearly on the verge of choking him. He untied the blindfold with his free hand and taps at her arm again upon realizing it was continuing to tighten.

A pair of downturned honey brown eyes slowly opened and blinked back at him, a beauty mark was at the far corner near her right eye.

Assana: (= n =)

Sticking out her foot fearfully first, Assana lets go only to pause. A loud gasp escaped her as she took in her surroundings.

"T-this... is the S7 Synthia!" The scene before her matched the sketches from the journal she read with him when they were younger. The S7 Synthia, a ship like no other. It was one of the first boats discovered from ancient history, a magical boat that was able to steer itself so long as a destination was set. The runes (*a special type of magic code that functions similarly to programming) it obeyed were engraved in by the rune master, Saint Cynthia of Trinita herself!

Hiro watched on as Assana wandered around squealing like a little kid at a theme park with a satisfied grin on his face. That is until she started slapping herself.

She turned to stare at him, teary-eyed. A third party who saw this game would assume it was he who had hit her.

"I'm not dreaming?"

Suddenly she rushed over to him and slapped him.

"OW!"

"That looks like it hurt!" Assana reveled in his pain, her eyes sparkled as she leaned forward to inspect the imprint she made on his pale skin. "So that means, this really isn't a dream!" She didn't seem in the least bit apologetic as she held clasped hands up to her mouth as she took in her surroundings once more. Her eyes glistened with moisture.

Hiro watched her trail off in disbelief as he rubbed his swelling cheek. Why slap him when you already slap yourself? As soon as she was out of sight, a hatch door on deck opened, and a sharp-eyed fellow with purple hair and a dark silver septum ring in his nose shaped like a horseshoe spotted him.

"Yo."

"Did you wake up just now?!"

Hiro climbs onto the deck while the fellow yawns a long-ass yawn.

"I'm going to take that as a yes."

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Assana screamed, startling the drowsy fellow awake.

Both rush toward the wheelhouse where Assana gaped at the helm that was... being steered by a short statue with a globe for a head.

Hiro quickly calmed down.

Was she excited just like before?

No.

She glares at him and points at a plaque nailed to the ship's helm that read.

PROPERTY OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF LACRIMA.