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(PP-F16) Depression at the Beach


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Tsu had forgotten that Kalu told her that he had never actually been to a beach before coming here. Tsu probably should have expected him to not really have much ideas for any other beach activities. But he at least had one idea, so that was good. Tsu watched Kalu walk over to a coconut tree and climb it, before cutting down some coconuts. It made sense that he already knew how to do, based on the way he described his life. He probably had to cut down coconuts and other foods to eat. 

Tsu watched Kalu bash open one of the coconuts, and then she grabbed the coconut that Kalu had offered. "Thanks, ribbit. I've had coconut juice in the real world before, so I know it's good. Did you want to play some volleyball, or play something else after this, rrribbit?" Tsu asked as she took a sip of the coconut, and tasted the juice. Tsu gave a quick thumbs up as she took another slurp. "These really are good, rrrrrrrrrrrribbit."

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Volleyball? That game we sometimes play in gym? Kalu took a sip from his coconut. Wish I had a banana for this to go along with this. “Volleyball? Sure. If I’m not mistaking it for another sport, though, it’s usually a team of six people versus another team of six people, but I can see how only two people can play it. We can do it.” Kalu slurped the rest of his coconut juice and then set the shell down down. Shortly afterwards, the coconut husk dissipated into blue shards, much to Kalu’s disappointment. “I could’ve used that as a container for other foods.” Kalu couldn’t help but smile.

Then he couldn’t help but start laughing at his current situation. They sounded as if he was short of breath, and could probably be mistaken for him choking on something, but once he settled down and could speak normally, he felt a embarrassed and tried to explain himself. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I never thought this kind of thing would happen. This whole sort of situation, it’s both mundane and ridiculous. Words can’t even express how I am right now. I’ve said this before, but thank you.” I probably have one of the most beautiful views in Aincrad right now

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Tsu was glad to hear that Kalu at least knew what volleyball was. Pretty much every school had to play it in gym class some time or another, so Tsu should have expected that Kalu would be able to play volleyball. "Yeah, pretty much everyone played it a little at some point, ribbit. I have a fun little question for you. If you were tested on, what animal would you want to be mixed with, rrrrrribbit?" Tsu asked as she opened her menu and got out a volleyball. She then walked over to where a net was already set up. "This spot works, ribbit. You already know how to play right? We'll play for a little while here, ribbit. Don't go too hard on me okay? We're just having fun here, ribbit.Tsu said as she tossed the ball up into the air and then hit it over with her tongue. 

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If I had to choose? “I think I’d like to be mixed with an owl. I’ve never seen one, but I’ve always heard that it’s as if they’re always watching over people.” I’ll continue to watch over everyone.

When Kalu and Tsu reached the portion of the beach with a net already set up, he got into a position within the middle of his side of the field. That’s when he heard Tsu’s remarks about not going too hard on her. Wait, what? Looking up, he saw Tsu easily hit the volleyball over the net with her tongue sending it soaring above his head. After trying to back up to stay aligned with the ball, Kalu fell down onto the sand and the volleyball hit his head. “I think you’re the one who has to go easy on me.” Kalu got up and tossed the ball within his hands for a while before bumping it back to Tsu.

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Tsu nodded her head when Kalu answered her question by saying that he would rather be mixed with an owl, since they watch over everyone. "Nice choice, ribbit. I'm fine with being a frog. I can't imagine myself as anything else, ribbit." Tsu said as she watched Kalu try to hit the ball. He missed and fell, Tsu giggling a little bit as she watched. As he hit it back to her, Tsu reached up with her tongue and passed the ball back over to Kalu. "If you want us on equal ground, you could take a quick sip of the potion, ribbit. Just have a long tongue for a couple hours. It would look really cool, rrrrrrribbit." Tsu suggested as she waved her tongue at Kalu as the ball went over to him. Kalu was being so nice so far. Tsu was actually starting to have feeling for him, it was weird.

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Kalu smiled at Tsu as he caught the ball. She really wants me to drink this potion, doesn’t she? It’ll be embarrassing though. Unless… Is there any bamboo around? However, after a quick look around, he was unable to find any traces of bamboo. However, he was able to find a banana tree with a couple of leaves at the top. “Let’s make a deal”, Kalu said to Tsu as he was talking towards the banana leaves. “If I lose this time, I will drink the potion. If you lose this time, I’ll dedicate a song to you in my shop. It’s a win-win.” For you at least.

Kalu cut down the banana leaves and created something similar to shoes. For the “sole” of the shoe, he realized that just the banana leaf by itself would be too slippery so he tried to sand it down and make it grittier to gain more traction. “Hopefully I won’t fall down anymore.” Kalu tossed the ball into the air and then bumped it over to her side of the field.

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Tsu nodded her head in agreement with the deal that Kalu proposed. "We have a deal then, ribbit. I'll make sure you get that long tongue. Then we can be frog buddies for a while, rrrrrribbit!" Tsu said, giving Kalu a quick thumbs up while he made shoes out of banana leaves. It looked a little silly, but it was practical. Tsu wasn't really considering the idea of a song being dedicated to her, as it would most likely just be something about frogs. Kalu said it was a win win, and Tsu agreed there, not for Kalu though. From what she had heard songs took a while to actually make. 

When Kalu bumped the ball over to Tsu's side of the field, she knew exactly what to do. Tsu jumped up and spiked the ball down with her tongue straight down onto the sand. The ball hit the ground with a wham and it bounced a few times before resting in the sand. Tsu giggled a little bit before walking over to Kalu. "Sorry for going overboard like that, I just really wanted to win, rrrribbit." Tsu apologized, putting her hands behind her back, giving a small smirk to Kalu.

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Kalu sighed very audibly and muttered under his breath. ”I should have made it a tree climbing competition.” Kalu took out the potion from his inventory and popped off the cork. He treated the potion like how a child handles medicine. However, he was a man of his word and would fulfill his end of the bet. The things I do… Kalu let a drop touch his tongue and then quickly put the potion in his inventory.


Kalu felt his throat tighten, or was it that there was now less space for air to travel in his throat, and coughed a bit. He stuck out his tongue and saw it flop before him. It wasn’t as long as Tsu’s, but it was still larger than he had expected for it to be. ”Go- Gosh. How do you handle this?” Kalu wheezed slightly trying to find his breath. ”Ribbit.” The pressure in his throat decreased slightly and he was able to breath slightly more than just a few seconds ago. So that's how.

 

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Tsu giggled a little bit when Kalu muttered that he should have made it a tree climbing competition instead of volleyball. "I'm sorry, ribbit. But hey look at the bright side, now you can feel what it's like to be me for the rest of the day, ribbit!" Tsu said, trying to cheer up Kalu a little bit about this. It may be a little hard to accept it at first, but eventually Kalu would get used to it, Tsu had a feeling for sure he would.

When Kalu's tongue grew, it came out only about an inch shorter than Tsu's and he coughed a little bit, since he hadn't started ribbiting. He asked how Tsu handled the tongue while wheezing and Tsu giggled a little bit more. When he ribbited, Tsu couldn't help but crack a smile. "It's okay if it feels weird, ribbit. It felt weird when my tongue started to get longer too. It's just a part of growing up when you're part frog, ribbit. But now we can be frog pals! Tongue high five, rrrrrribbit!" Tsu said as she stuck out her tongue and held it up for a high five from Kalu's tongue.

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Tongue high-five? Kalu didn’t want to seem rude but, to him, this situation sounded as if she had just asked for them to start… Kissing. Kalu didn’t understand the context behind her decision or desire to have this tongue high-five, and he certainly did not know if this was something common within her family. “Uh…”, Kalu stammered a bit, as he was trying to find out a way to solve this situation without hurting her feelings.

The first solution that Kalu that popped up in his mind was to pretend that he didn’t have the necessary muscle to move his tongue, but he believed that she might not have bought that seeing how this was a virtual reality. The second solution that Kalu thought of was trying to trick her into believing he didn’t understand what having a tongue high-five entailed. Unable to think of any in a reasonable time, Kalu simply walked over to Tsu and placed his hand on her tongue. “Ribbit.” Please let this work.

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Tsu laughed a little bit when Kalu stammered, not really understanding what Tsu meant by a tongue high five. He seemed confused, and he waited a while before just high fiving Tsu's tongue with his hand. Tsu laughed again, before reaching out her tongue at his and giving it a quick tap. "Don't worry, I'm not asking you to make out, ribbit. It's something we do a lot in my family, where we high five each other with our tongues, ribbit. Sorry, just seeing you with a long tongue reminded me of my little brother, and we tongue high fived a lot, rrrrrrribbit.Tsu explained, rubbing the back of her head and giggling a little bit. "In fact, we played a lot of games with our tongues in my family, ribbit. We did arm wrestling with our tongues, which I always won at. We played a lot of sports with our tongues too, ribbit. In our house, since no one else really could see us, we did just about everything with our tongues, ribbit.Tsu went on, finishing her story. Looking at Kalu's tongue, Tsu tried to think of what they could do. "Before we do anything else, are you able to control your tongue, ribbit? Just hold your tongue up like me if you can, ribbit.Tsu asked, before sticking out her tongue and holding it out all the way, putting a small curve in it.

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Kalu was surprised that Tsu was able to realize why he reacted that way when she asked to do a tongue high-five. Am I really that transparent? Kalu resigned that thought for later, for fear of remembering how his parents had often acted, while in their usual drunken stupor, as if he had never existed.

However, Kalu felt happy for Tsu once she started relaying her past with her family. In his mind, an image of Tsu fitting into a place sequestered away from the rest of the world that attempts to alienate her. It must be nice to fit in somewhere. Kalu wanted to bring that sense of familial bonding to her current virtual life and tried to match Tsu’s tongue.

But Kalu wasn’t able to even get anywhere close to it. It felt as if he was trying to flex a muscle that wasn’t a part of his body and that, although the weight felt real, he had to exert some mental strength in order to lift it. Eventually, he was able to raise it up after realizing that struggling is pointless but rather act as if he’s just trying to normally let his tongue rise. It’s a game, it’ll fill in the details. Once he stretched his tongue out as much as he could, at least before he had to struggle to reach out even more, he simply stated (almost as if he was talking to himself), “I guess trying to struggle as if it is a physical thing doesn’t really work that well in a game all up here”, Kalu tapped the side of his head. It wasn’t nearly as perfect as Tsu’s (which for obvious reasons reminded Kalu of an actual frog), but he was still able to move his tongue quite a fair bit. “Guess you’re the master, then. Ribbit.”

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Tsu pulled her tongue back in after Kalu had tried to copy it like she asked, but it wasn't the exact same as the way Tsu was doing it. With enough time and practice, Kalu could eventually move his tongue like the way Tsu had her tongue. Kalu said that trying to struggle like in real life wouldn't really work in a game. "Yeah, since it's a game, pretty much all of our body possibilities are already laid out, ribbit. I've gotten used to it, and maybe you will too in the future. Although you aren't 14 percent frog like I am, you'll eventually get used to it, rrrrrrrribbit.Tsu said as she crossed her arms, before giggling a little bit at seeing Kalu try and copy her. It was a little cute seeing him try. 

Tsu giggled even more when Kalu called her the master. The ribbit right after just made it even better. "No need to call me the master, ribbit. I was just like you when my tongue first started to come out. I was like 7 when my tongue started to get long, and I could hardly control it, ribbit. You've been pretty cool about this whole thing, so thanks for playing along with me. It's been two years I think since I've last seen a person with a frog tongue, ribbit. I just get this happy feeling inside when I see it. Is there anything I can do to help you feel better, rrrrrrrribbit?" Tsu asked, now having a big smile on her face. A fly had been buzzing around her head, and Tsu smacked it down with her tongue as soon it was in range.

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It’s been never since I saw someone like me. “This may seem weird, but not really. Just being here with you and taking my mind off of things has been the greatest gift-”, the only gift, “that I have ever received.” It’s fortunate that people looked after her. Kalu returned Tsu’s smile as he sat down onto the sand and started playing with it.

Staring off into space as he grabbed the sand and let it slowly fall from his hands, he thought about his friends from the real world. He was wondering if anyone knew that he was trapped in here, since he never told anyone that he bought the game but the fact that he was still alive and sitting here assuaged those fears. But one thought still lingered. Does anyone even care that I am in here? “I couldn’t have asked for anything more.” He looked up at Tsu and smiled right before, almost like a hiccup, a noise escaped from his mouth. “Ribbit.”

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Tsu shook her head when Kalu said that what he said may seem weird, but spending time with Tsu may have been the greatest gift that he had ever received. "Don't call it weird, ribbit. I liked spending time here with you. I'm glad I could give you this gift, it makes me happy seeing you happy, rrrrrribbit.Tsu said as she sat down beside Kalu as he started to play with the sand. 

Tsu didn't say anything as she watched start to gaze off into space again, going into his own little world for a bit. Tsu couldn't help but think he was going into his dark thoughts, just not saying anything about them. Tsu had her own dark thoughts, worrying if anyone even care that she was still in here. She put those thoughts aside and went back to her happy self when Kalu told her that he couldn't have asked for anything more. Then he ribbited and Tsu laughed a little bit, before hugging him. "I couldn't have asked for anything more either, ribbit.Tsu said, and then let hin out of the hug. "So, was there anything else you wanted to do here at the beach, rrrrrribbit?"

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Kalu smiled as Tsu hugged him. It was he most affection anyone has ever shown him. However, he realized this wasn’t fair either. I’m being selfish right now. She's younger than me, she has time to become happy and leave these thoughts behind. However in the back of his mind, he remembered that the more people you meet, the less just the world seemed to be. He tried to push away that truth that he had held onto, but he remembered that feeling of helplessness when he found out of a girl’s death sentence.
Kalu felt Tsu’s arms slip away from him. Kalu was there in the hospital. Kalu saw Mina on the hospital bed, waiting for the brain tumor in her head to finally claim her life.


”I’m glad you could make it. It makes me happy that you could see me in these final moments.” It confused Kalu how Mina was both crying and smiling at the same time. ”Don’t worry about me, I’ll be with you every step of the way.” Kalu heard the flatline of the heart rate monitor.


Kalu came back to reality. I hope you are Mina. I hope you are. Kalu looked at Tsu and simply said, ”Let’s make a memorial. For both of us, and the people we love and care about. That tide or Cardinal is going to make it go away anyways, so nothing will be left of this other than our own memories.


((In no way, shape, or form related to any Mina on the site.))

 

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Tsu just smiled at Kalu, and then hugged him again as he started to go off into his own thoughts again. It just felt nice to hug Kalu, it was in a way of showing affection. Kalu was being one of the nicest people ever to Tsu outside of her family. "You've been so nice to me, more than anyone else in the world, ribbit. Most people are repulsed by me, and very few even approach me. So thanks, it really makes this little froggy happy, rrrrrrribbit.Tsu thanked, still hugging him. Tsu started to think back on the only person in the real world that wasn't mean to her. Tsu started to go off into her own world as well, having a little flashback as well.

Tsu had been in 6th grade when the popular kids had tied her tongue around the flagpole during lunch, leaving her there, laughing. Then there was Kat, who had came by and helped untie Tsu. "I don't get why people do this to you. I see you as a person, just like anyone else. I find your tongue a little cute really." Kat had told Tsu. It was at that point when Tsu realized that there were good people out there who weren't so quick to judge. Kat had moved away to New York and Tsu never heard from her again, but Tsu would always remember her as one of the very very few people who was nice to her. 

Coming back to reality, Kalu had said that they should make a memorial, for both of them and the ones they loved. Tsu nodded as she let go of Kalu. "What kind of memorial would we make, ribbit? Did you mean something like a sand sculpture, ribbit? Or did you want to make paintings of each other, ribbit?" Tsu asked, going over what they could do for a memorial.

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“Anything is fine, but probably a sand sculpture is probably the most convenient. Ribbit. ,” Kalu told Tsu as he got up to search for any rocks or seashells that they could use to dig any sand or make a couple special decorations with. However, Kalu felt guilty for more than one reason.


I can’t believe I ever forgot about Mina. In Kalu’s defense, he was young when he last saw her and he went out of obligation because he felt it necessary to say his final goodbyes to someone he had known for most of his life. However, the idea of forgetting someone that used to be close to him was unthinkable. He knew he has a memorial at his shop, but he wanted to celebrate her life here and now. However, these justifications had no weight when it came to his second reason for feeling so guilty. I don’t want to dig up any traumatizing events that have happened to her.

After combing the beach for any rocks or shells, he returned to the place that Tsu was. ”You reckon that this is enough? Ribbit.” Kalu asked, his hands almost full with assorted shells and stones. ”I’m- I’m sorry for this spur of the moment thing. I just remembered someone that I should never have forgotten, so I thought it would be best to already start paying respects.” Kalu felt as if he was rambling on. There’s no reason why she would want to hear this, she already agreed anyways. However, he couldn’t stop talking. He couldn’t stop replaying the image in his head and relaying his past experiences. ”It’s been so long since I last saw them in person. About nine years from now, more or less.”


He paused and bit his tongue trying to find a way to divert the attention off of himself without putting Tsu into an uncomfortable position. ”I’m sure your family still cares that you’re stuck in here.” Kalu smiled as he set down the stones and shells. ”I’m sure they’re over your bed right now, tending for you. Making sure your body is as comfortable as can be. Ribbit.” 

 

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Tsu started to build up a plateau of sand while Kalu went off to get some shells and rocks. A sand sculpture was going to be a nice little way of remembering those in thr real world. They weren't dead, but Tsu just missed them a lot. That went for a lot of people in this game. So Tsu tended to feel a little bad when she forgot about certain people for a while.

Tsu nodded her head when Kalu asked if what he grabbed was enough. "Those will be enough, ribbit. Just set them down and we can get started, rrrribbit.Tsu said as she got on her knees and started to mold out of the plateau she had been working on, curving it upwards a little bit. Kalu had went on to say that he had just remembered someone that he never should have forgotten. Tsu patted him on the shoulder with her tongue before going back to working on shaping out the memorial. "I understand how you feel, ribbit. I was just remembering my only non-frog friend from the real world. I haven't thought of her in a while, so I am just reflecting a little bit, ribbit. It's been about 7 years since I last saw Kat. Last I heard of her, she moved to New York and died in a car crash, ribbit.Tsu went on, a bit of a sombre tone in her voice. It made Tsu feel a little bit of regret for not even trying to get her to stay. Kalu had changed the subject saying that he was sure that Tsu's family still cares about her, making she was still comfortable in her bed. "Thanks, but I still get the feeling that my body is off in some government lab, being monitored, ribbit. I like to think that my family is watching me still, and I much prefer that, rrrrribbit.Tsu responded, starting to flatten out the top of the memorial.

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“I won’t ever leave your side,” Kalu blurted out the words. He wasn’t surprised that these words came out of his mouth, what surprised him was how instinctual they were. Because they’re true. Above all, though, they were his attempt to shelter Tsu from any further harm (no matter how impossible that may be) and her apparent loneliness. “It doesn’t matter if I get hurt, if overstepping my bounds to reach you means I’ll die. If you get lost in a dark place, I’ll be your candle and I’ll burn my entire being to give you the light you need to find your way out of it. I promise you that I will always be by your side. I’ll die before I break that promise.”

Kalu set down the shells and rocks on the sand next to Tsu’s sculpture. Kalu wasn’t smiling this time around, even his emotionally inept being knew that this wasn’t the time for happiness. His facial features were knitted with concern. “It’s the least that I can do to repay you for everything you’ve done.” And it’s all I can do to assure you that you’re never going to be alone.

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