Caught
Riku wiped an arm across his brow, catching the sweat there before it dripped into his eyes, and sweeping stray strands of hair with it. It was a hot day, made even hotter by the cloudless sky, and the sun reflecting off of the ocean. It had still been dark when he and his small crew had set out for the day, but barely cooler, even in those quiet hours. It was a fishing expedition, more for fun, than anything, and Riku was more or less enjoying himself. They'd caught a few in the earlier hours, but as the day wore on, the fish dove deeper to escape the sun, and Riku and his friends had turned their attentions to sunbathing and relaxing in the lull.
Riku was starting to think that the fish had the right idea, avoiding the hottest hours of the day by diving under the water, and was about to say something, when Tidus voiced his thoughts.
"You know, I could go for a dip right about now!" The blond bent over a bag and came up with a few rebreathers and goggles. "I did come prepared, after all!"
"Ya, man, a swim sounds like a good idea!"
"I was just thinking the same thing."
And, once they were all in agreement, they reeled in their poles and stripped down to board shorts, each finding their way into the ocean with a splash. Wakka let out a loud whoop before launching into a cannonball, Tidus made a show of attempting a fancy dive, and Riku effortlessly slid into a straight dive, going deeper than either of the others. Selphie opted to stay on deck and watch the boat, leaving the three to their underwater antics.
They weren't very far out on the water, there was still land in sight, but the water was deep, and with the help of the rebreathers, they were able to stay under longer. Tidus and Wakka defaulted to practicing Blitzball maneuvers, always at it even when they lacked the knobbed ball, while Riku just enjoyed the feeling of the water around him, flowing smoothly against his skin and soothing away the heat of the sun.
It was as Riku was a little off from his friends, swimming lazily towards a school of fish, that he saw something that caught his eye. Behind a rock formation, the shape a lone dolphin. Or so he thought, at first, and it struck him odd that such a social creature was alone, so he changed direction and swam towards that, to investigate. He saw the blue-grey shape of a tail and dorsal fin peeking from around the edge of the rocks, but just as he got close enough to get a good look, a quick movement carried it out of sight again.
But not before Riku saw blue eyes, brunette hair, and a shape that just wasn't what he'd been expecting. He floated in place, disbelieving, for another moment more, before Wakka's voice pulled his mind away, calling him back to the boat.
Riku spent the rest of the day staring out into space, trying to make sense of what he'd seen. Or anyway, what he'd thought he'd seen. And when they skidded across the water, towards the shore, he turned to watch the ocean fall away behind them, squinting against the setting sun. As if he could catch a glimpse of it again.
Unknown to him, the thing he was looking for was following their little boat to shore, staying just out of sight. Riku wasn't the only one looking to see the other again.
Sora followed the shadow cast by the boat, powerful tail driving him forward. He wanted to see the silver-haired human again, the one that was prettier than any human he'd ever seen before.