The night went on as usual. Sota lay half on top of Haruki, clinging closely to him, one hand gripping his clothes. Almost as if the Alpha might secretly slip away. Haruki stroked the Omega gently while watching something on TV, until the two of them drifted into sleep.
"Aaaaah!" Sota screamed, his voice loud and sharp, and Haruki jolted up in shock. Panic flashed across his face. "What is it?! What happened?!" he asked frantically, his eyes darting left and right. But there was nothing. Sota clung to him tighter, pressing his face against the Alpha's chest, while stretching out his arm to point. "There, at the window..!" he whispered. Haruki glanced that way and sighed when he saw Sota was only pointing at the wall. Yet in truth, he hadn't even looked directly at where the Omega was pointing. And when he finally cast a tired glance at the window, he found nothing there either. "Listen, Sota… I think you just had a bad dream." Sota shook his head, refusing to lift his face from Haruki's chest. Haruki gently pried him away and stood up with a sigh. "Look…" He walked to the window, and though Sota protested, he opened it. "There's nothing…" He leaned out, peering into the night. Sota left the bed as well, tugging at Haruki's clothes. "Close it… please, come back into the safe bed…"
Weeks passed without further incidents. Haruki had started a part-time job and usually brought food home with him. And how did Sota handle their first separation because of work? Terribly. The Omega cried, behaving at first as though Haruki would die outside and never return. That was followed by a defiant phase, where he tried—without much success—to ignore the Alpha. Usually, he couldn't stand it himself, and after a few days, he finally accepted it.
Now Sota was simply happy. It was Friday! Friday meant the weekend—and most of all, it meant Haruki usually brought pizza. Sota hadn't known such a thing before, and so it had quickly become his favorite food.
"Haru!" he cried joyfully, throwing his arms around the Alpha's neck as soon as the door opened. Haruki startled and stumbled back a few steps before chuckling and wrapping his arms around Sota. "Hey. I'm slowly getting used to these stormy greetings." Sota rose on his tiptoes, smiling up at him expectantly. Haruki smiled in return and kissed him. The Omega had been waiting for it, and Haruki himself enjoyed it deeply. With daily life settling into a rhythm, and with the warmth of having something like a family with Sota, his doubts grew quieter—the skeptical voice that once questioned Sota's origin fading away.
"So? Did you do anything nice today?" Sota shook his head. "I only waited for you!" He used the chance to snuggle closer into Haruki's arms. Haruki sighed, amused but not displeased—Sota's clingy cuteness always made him smile. Still, he wished the Omega would go outside once in a while. "Tomorrow we'll go back to the village, alright? You know the place, and we can take some pictures together—the lilies should be blooming now." Normally, he expected the usual refusal, but this time Sota seemed to truly consider it. The Omega nodded, smiling brightly. "Okay! If you're with me, nothing bad can happen, right?"
The next morning came, and hand in hand, they set out like a newly in-love couple. They had packed sandwiches, talking along the way about how they'd take pictures, and how Haruki might share a little about his past. But when they arrived, they both stopped in shock. The rolling hills were no longer green. No lilies in sight. Only withered, dry earth awaited them. Even the sea appeared murky and brownish, no longer the radiant blue they had once seen.
"What happened here?" Haruki whispered. Sota stood wordless by his side at first, then slowly walked down the path—to the very spot where he had first met Haruki. The Alpha followed, confusion clouding his face. "Maybe there was a fire?" But Sota shook his head, leaning over the shore to peer into the water. He seemed to be searching—for those talking fish that had once greeted him so kindly and helped him leave the sea. But did he truly wish to find them now?
"Aaah!" Sota cried out, stumbling back into Haruki's arms. In the water's darkness, countless eyes had appeared, all of them fixed upon him. And Sota? He realized the truth of what had happened to this land. It was him. His absence. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks as he pressed his lips together, while Haruki rubbed his back soothingly. "Heeey…" the Alpha murmured softly, trying to calm him. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Sota only sobbed harder, and Haruki decided to lift him up bridal-style, carrying him to higher ground. Sitting down, he settled Sota on his lap and held him close.
"I never told you why I visit so many temples and shrines. Maybe it'll distract you a little… It's nothing special, really. My parents died in an accident when I was very young, and I was passed from orphanage to orphanage. No one wanted me. Maybe it was because I was too shy…" Sota looked up at him, cheeks flushed, eyes wide with interest. Haruki smiled—grateful that Sota was no longer so consumed by whatever had frightened him. "And… well, it's embarrassing, but I don't fit the classic image of an Alpha. I'm not successful, I'm still shy, and I don't really have anything to offer. That's why I was so surprised when I met you, and you…" He flushed, rubbing his nose awkwardly, looking away to seem at least a little cooler. "That you wanted me as your partner… I always came here, wishing for a family—someone who would like me for who I am. I never thought it would really happen. Or if it did, not because of some wish I made at an old shrine. But then you appeared. And you're the sweetest Omega I could have ever dreamed of…"
Sota blushed and kissed him so passionately that Haruki toppled backward, and they both landed on the ground. "I love you too, Haru!" Sota beamed at him with joy. Yet he still chose to keep his secret—about awakening in the sea. "Let's go somewhere else. This place doesn't look so good anymore," he suggested, to Haruki's surprise. "Are you sure?" Haruki asked, but Sota simply nodded, and the two left.
Just before they crested the hills and left the sea behind, Sota shuddered.
"Ebisu…" whispered a voice softly. Haruki didn't seem to hear it. And Sota hurried on, eager to put distance between them and that place.