This Is No Ordinary Love

Thank you for the lovely reviews everyone. This chapter is a bit shorter, but I wanted to post something before I had to start back to school, so bare with me on this one, kay? Anywho, enjoy!


Chapter 2

“Who’s there?” Akoni asked into the distance, then jumped when he felt a wet touch on his jean shorts. His breath caught when he looked down at the water beneath him and saw milky beige skin rise up from out the water, revealing a toned torso, and a magnificent young face. “It’s you.” Akoni whispered. The merman smiled.

“Wow. I thought I dreamed you up or something. For a minute I thought I might have been crazy. You ARE real, right?” Akoni asked, still whispering. Without a word, the merman grabbed Akoni’s hand and placed it on his own shoulder. The skin Akoni felt was very soft, yet strong. “I guess that answers my question.”

“Good. Now would you answer mine?”

“Oh, sorry. Jo-Jo isn’t a ‘what’, it’s a ‘who’? It’s my little brother’s name. He’s fourteen and a pain in my side.”

Akoni was borderline staring at the beauty as he laughed. *Is there nothing he doesn’t look beautiful doing?* “My brother, Ilani, is just like that. He’s thirteen.”

There was a moment of silence between them. Much was mutually spent looking the other over. The merman was captivated by Akoni. His long, sturdy body, brown doe eyes, and smooth tinted skin, drove him up the wall. It also placed him in emotions he’d never experienced before. He knew nothing of romance, love, or sensuality in any sense of the words. His first kiss was with Akoni on the boat and that was totally out of reflex. He couldn’t help himself. He was definitely pure in heart and mind, but it didn’t mean he did not want to learn. He was so entranced by the young land dweller, he almost missed what Akoni was saying.

“…..wanted to thank you for saving me earlier today. My dad said he never even knew I fell in the water, so I probably would’ve died if it weren’t for you.” Akoni frowned. “You’re awfully strong for a petite fella.” The other just smiled and shrugged. “What’s your name?”

“Kekoa.”

“Kekoa.” Akoni tested the name out on his lips. “What’s the rest?”

“The rest of what?”

“Your last name. You don’t have a last name?”

Kekoa shook his head. “What’s the purpose of that?”

“Well, it’s your family name. All members of your family will share that same last name.”

Kekoa seemed interested. “Really?”

Akoni nodded. “Of course, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but that’s the gist of it.”

“So what’s you’re family name, then?”

“Kulani. But MY name is Akoni.”

“And what are you doing out here, Akoni?”

Akoni shrugged. “I don’t know. I just felt like being alone for a minute. I usually come out here and just sit, listen to the waves, and relax.”

Kekoa’s face dropped. “Oh. You wanna be alone? I’m sorry, I’ve leave.” He began to push away, but Akoni quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“No! No. It’s okay, really. I was talking about my family and all, not you. I want you to stay.”

“Alright.” Kekoa moved back in.

There was another peaceful silence, where they both just sat there, listening to the waves of the ocean crash onto the shore and the large rocks they were perched on. “I’ve been thinking about you all day today.” Akoni said softly. He turned to look at the merman in the face, his eyes eventually wandering down to the scales and fin that sparkled in the moonlight. “It’s so surreal seeing you. I mean, you hear about mermaids and things in storybooks when you’re a child, but I never thought I’d actually see one. And that kiss…..that kiss was……” Akoni was cut short when Kekoa slowly turned his face around and kissed him. It wasn’t a deep and involved kiss, just a simple press of the lips, but it was enough to leave Akoni wanting more before he knew it.

“My parents forbid me from seeing you anymore.” The merman whispered.

“Why?”

“They said that because you were human, you would tell other people about us. You wont tell anyone, will you?” he asked, his hand was still on Akoni’s face.

Akoni looked deep into those lavender eyes. He’d never want to see those beautiful eyes saddened. He’d hate it even more if those eyes were saddened because of him. “I won’t, I swear.” Kekoa smiled happy then kissed him one last time.

“I must go.”

“Wait…..I….Will….Can I see you again?”

The merman nodded. “Just come back here. I’ll find you.” When Akoni nodded, Kekoa lunged back into the Pacific and was gone.

And Kekoa did find Akoni. Whether he showed up early in the morning before heading off to work, that afternoon after dinner, or that night before going to bed Kekoa would be there waiting on him. And when they met, they always greeted with a kiss. It was never a tonsil throwdown, but it was a simple gesture shared between two growing friends. That and it just quickly became a habit for them to kiss when they met. Kekoa surely did not complain. He LOVED kissing on Akoni.

Over the following three months, Kekoa spent a lot of his time perched on that large mass of rocks, talking to Akoni and asking questions about different things he didn’t know, and Akoni cherished their times together. Kekoa was just Kekoa. There was nothing to figure out about him, or uncomplicate. The young beauty was sweet and innocent and a free spirit, simple as that. For Akoni, it was like a breath of fresh air. He had to think about what he said with Peka, fearing he’d piss him off and start up another fight. With Kekoa, he said what he felt and there was no thinking to it. No repercussions. The merman was therapeutic.

However, there time together didn’t go unnoticed. Ilani began to wonder just where his brother would go every single day. Why wasn’t he moping around at home? Why wasn’t he arguing with father about whatever? Why wasn’t he around for him to pester to the point of him chasing him all over the Pacific? Kekoa was never home! And when he was, he was almost…..painfully cheerful. What gotten his gullible attention this time?

So Ilani followed Kekoa one morning as he left home. Trailing far enough behind not to be noticed, he followed his brother to the ocean’s surface and watched as he swam to an area of rocks where a young man sat waiting. His young lavender eyes widened shocked as he saw Kekoa kiss the land dweller then rise out the water to sit next to him. “Uh oh.”

***

“You going out again this morning?” Kekoa asked.

Akoni nodded. “My dad, uncle, and the other guys are loading us up right now.”

“How do you catch your fish?”

“We cast out a large net into the ocean. We wait for a while, then pull the net up with the fish inside. It’s pretty…….simple.” Akoni hindered in his speaking when he noticed Kekoa’s face had fallen. “What’s the matter? Are you alright?”

Looking down at his hands, Kekoa answered, “My grandpa was killed when he was captured by one of those nets. I was just a child but I remember being out with him one morning. We were just traveling together seeing all of the island. I remember seeing this beautiful sea shell down near the ocean floor. I can still see it. It was as big as both my hands put together and the purest of pearl white. That part of the ocean was really dark but you could see the shell perfectly. I told my grandpa and since I was afraid of dark areas then, he told me to stay put and he’d get it for me. But while he was gone, a dark shadow came over me and I heard this mechanical sound…..”

“A boat engine.”

Kekoa nodded. “Yeah. It moved above me and that’s when I saw the net. I managed to move out the way in time, but my grandpa didn’t. I heard him yell as he was swept up. I called for him but he squeezed his hand through the netting and pushed me away. ‘Get back, Kekoa!’ he had said. I swam far away and lifted my eyes to the surface, watching. My grandpa was a large merman with an even bigger fin. I guess when his fin splashed out of the water, the men mistook him for a shark……..” Akoni saw the water in Kekoa’s lavender eyes. The young beauty struggled to finish his words. “they had these short, black, stick things in their hands…….I remember those things being so loud that I had to cover my ears. They pointed them down at my grandpa and…….and hey killed him.” Kekoa didn’t exactly ball up and cry—the killing had happened many years ago and he had since learned to cope with it-- but a few tears rolled down his cheeks at the memory of it.

Frowning, Kekoa raised a hand to his cheek and wiped it slowly across the unfamiliar moistness on his face. He looked down at his now wet finger tips. “What is this?” he looked up to Akoni, a confused look on his face.

“They’re tears.” The young man placed a gentle hand on the merman’s cheek and wiped some away with his thumb. “You’re crying. You get that sinking feeling in your stomach and your chest tightens and you feel like you can’t breathe.”

“I’ve had that feeling. But I’ve never cried.”

“Yes you have. You’ve cried everytime, but you live underwater…..you just never knew it.” Akoni kept his eyes glued to Kekoa’s misty lavender ones, his hand not moving from the smooth cheek. But then there was a vibration followed by a soft jingle played. Finally moving his hand away, Akoni reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone. “It’s my dad. They’re waiting on me. I have to go.” Akoni started to stand up, but Kekoa quickly reached for his arm.

“Wait……um…..do you think you could come back and meet me here this afternoon.”

Akoni smirked suspiciously. “Why? You have something for me?”

“There’s something I want to show you.”

“Sure. I’ll be back.”

Kekoa watched fondly as Akoni hopped off the mass of rocks and walked back down the beach. Sighing contently, he dived back into the Pacific and swam for home, but he didn’t make it. He stopped suddenly when he saw Ilani with his hands folded.

“What are you doing out here, away from home?” he asked his younger brother.

“I could ask you the same thing. Kekoa you know dad will hang you by your fin when he finds out you disobeyed him.”

“You followed me.”

“I was worried. You’ve been staying gone for a long time now and I wanted to know where you’d go off to. Dad’s gonna kill you.”

“He wont find out cause I wont tell him. And neither will you.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Because you don’t want mom and dad finding out you and your friends have been sneaking off trying to capture sharks, when you know they told you not to.”

Ilani gasped. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would.” Kekoa came closer to his brother and placed soft hands on Ilani’s shoulders. “I need you to keep this from mom and dad, Ilani. It’s important.”

“Kekoa, messing with that land dweller is like swimming with killer whales. You don’t know what risk you’re taking by being with him. His knowing who we are could destroy our entire race.”

“I know the risk I’m taking. But I’m in love with Akoni. I can’t just stop talking to him.” Kekoa squeezed his hands, adding pressure to Ilani’s shoulders. He looked his spoiled brother directly in the eyes. “You must keep this a secret for me. Don’t tell anyone…..please?”

Ilani sighed. “I don’t know, Kekoa.”

“Atleast meet him. Get to know him for yourself. You’ll see he’s really not a bad guy.”

“Okay! Okay. I’ll meet him. What day do you want to do it?”

Kekoa smiled. “This afternoon.”

Ilani’s eyes bucked out. “What?!”


TBC...

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