In "Summer" (Nilo, Hyde)

At a far corner of the beech, far away from where people normally congregated at, stood a lone figure. The figure was Nilo, sitting on the sand and watching the water swell up and down. His book was on the ground next to him, his knees against his chest as he breathed in the fresh sea breeze that blew about the beach.

He was silent, his eyes closed as he listened to the waves crashing against the shore. It was serene, something he needed due to the recent events. Of course, the boy was wearing clothes unfit for the beach, as per usual; a sweatshirt with thin pants on.

From afar, it would seem as if he was simply asleep. His small frame swaying lightly with the breeze, the sun's golden glow basking the world before it would finally set. It created a peaceful scene, one basked in serenity.

It was Lunapa Island, Hyde’s favorite island. Of all the other islands, he wanted to take his time to enjoy himself at the one place that he truly felt like he belonged. It was a different kind of feeling, but it gave off latent memories of peace and bliss. There were irreplaceable moments that he had in his life that he never had a chance to enjoy to the fullest when he was on this island. With the amount of free tie that he had, he always felt that it wasn’t enough to enjoy lunapa. “Hm….” As Hyde continued to walk around Lunapa with a coconut drink and a straw, he noticed a familiar figure. “Is that?”

After walking closer and noticing that it was Nilo, Hyde squatted down next to him and shifted his coconut over to him. “Thirsty? I didn’t drink from it yet.”

The boy was lost in the sounds of the beach; the crashing waves, the sweet breeze, the cries of the near by sea birds, the steadily increasing whines of the cicadas in the near by jungle. It was a symphony of nature, and the boy had a front row seat to it. He sighed happily, resting his head gently against his knees, a small smile crossing his lips as he truly felt at peace. However, he did hear the steady steps of someone walking on the sand. He didn't bother opening his eyes though, assuming it was just a stranger going to pass him up... Until the foot steps went quiet and a voice spoke to him inches away.

It was safe to say the boy was frightened by the event that just unfolded, but it wouldn't be an understatement that the boy screamed and fell over into the sand with an oomph. He groaned, sitting back up and beginning to dust the sand off of himself. "It's not polite to scare people like that." he said in an annoyed tone, "Honestly, what pedophilic creeper comes up to a kid and asks the-" he ranted on until he noticed who exactly spoke to him. He blinked and blushed lightly, not really sure how to alleviate any pain he may have caused through his words.

"U-Um... S-Sorry, I didn't know it was you, Hyde..." he said apologetically, finishing up his brushing of sand. "... Still, you really shouldn't do that..." he said with a final sigh, seeming to regain his composure.

You got quite the mouth there buddy, but I guess it goes without saying. It’s always the quiet ones that turn out to be the most outspoken. Not that it's a bad thing..” Since Nilo didn’t really seem like he was thirsty or wanted a sip of Hyde’s coconut water, Hyde started to take a sip of his own coconut water. “You know this is like the best tasting drink on a really hot day, I was trying to make sure that you didn’t catch a heat stroke or anything. Plus, surprise entrances are a lot more like my style other than simple greetings. Right?”

Nilo would have already had a feeling that Hyde was somewhat like that. “ Anyway, it seems that inspiration has finally brought you to my favorite island. Watchu working on exactly?

The boy moved a strand of his hair to hide his face, his blush still visible against his pale skin. He was embarrassed by his outburst, only expecting a stranger and never thinking it'd be someone he knew. He stayed quiet as Hyde continued on about him and his drink, then blinked at his statement on how he was natural to surprise entrances. He mulled it over and agreed with him silently, looking up at him once more.

"... I'm okay... I put on sun screen and wore long clothing to protect my self from the sun..." he said as he returned his attention the the beach, letting his sense be consumed by its majesty. He listened to Hyde carefully though, mulling over his thoughts before responding to him.

"... I came here to be overcome by the beach..." he said wistfully, falling silent again as his body gently swayed in the breeze. "... Its so beautiful this time of year... There's so much to listen to and feel... It relaxes your whole body, like meditation... It's amazing..." he said quietly, sighing happily.

Overcome by the beach? Well you are doing it all wrong if that’s the case , the beach has to be completely over you. And when I say beach, I really mean the sand. Once someone gets to build a sand tomb or something that you could simply lay in, now you could say that you are being overcome by the beach.” Hyde would take a small sip from his straw and smiled. “Unless you are saying that you are overcome with joy at how beautiful the beach is. If that’s what you are saying, then I would have to agree with you Nolo. Though, I never thought you would be so sensitive towards the sun. IT doesn’t bother me too much, I think I heard that a light tan is quite healthy

The boy rolled his eyes and laughed lightly, opening his eyes to look up at the setting sun. He felt the rays touch his face, marveling at the glory of its majesty. He rarely gave himself the time to be at peace like this, and right now, he wasn't going to allow anything to stop him from basking within it.

"No... I meant more... Like the beach's essence, its soul... I'm basking within it..." he said, again in a wistful, thoughtful tone. He mulled over Hyde's words, honestly surprised by his lack of notice. "Hyde, I'm albino... Can't you tell?" he asked, raising his overly pale hand to the sun light.

"The sun's a danger to me... I burn as easily as wood in a fire..." he said before lowering his hand, hugging his knees a little closer to him, sighing lightly. "... I wonder if my life would have been different if I was born normal... And don't go on some tangent on 'you're differences are what make you special,' okay? You've heard it once, you hear it one thousand times..." he said with another sigh, letting the sun's heat lay upon his hair as it swayed within the wind.

"... I've caused a lot of pain in my life, Hyde... More pain than one would think I could... I truly wonder if I had that pigmentation in my skin, if my life would have been different... I wonder if I'd have my mom's hair color... Or my aunt's eyes... They're apparently hazel, the kind that change colors..." he trailed on, shaking his head lightly. "Sorry... I'm ranting on about gibberish... I guess the sun is messing with my head a little." he said with a light laugh before taking in a deep breath, sighing before closing his eyes and resting his head against his knees again.

Hyde was listening to his friend talk about his troubles and shook his head. “ You know, I kind of wonder how you managed to cause so much trouble? Isn’t your pigmentation something that you would have to deal with? I would think that this is something that you would have to get used to, not living a normal life as a kid, and then your parents having to deal with it by making the proper adjustments. “ Hyde was silent and then he continued. Though, if you are so fond of your mother and aunt’s character traits, maybe this pigmentation came from your father’s side? Though, I don’t think this is your fault Nilo….you didn’t do anything wrong…

Nilo listened to Hyde with an absent minded, his eyes still closed as he felt the breeze lick his face. He didn't know what to think of Hyde's words, sighing lightly as he began to form words in his head to reply. Before speaking though, he shed a tear; an invisible drop of water that wasn't visible to any but the boy. Why he had just cried escaped him, but he continued on regardless.

"Hyde... Albinism is a disease... It's a hereditary disease that involves the lack of pigmentation in the skin, hair, and eyes..." he said quietly, slowly opening his eyes. "Pigmentation is what makes your skin tan, your eyes shine with color, your hair painted its different colors... Albinism makes me burn as quickly as ash... And, honestly, it's a miracle that I can still see..." he said before shaking his head, opening his eyes to look out into the sea.

"I know it wasn't my fault... And no... I'm the first in my family to be affected by this disease... I was simply born this way out of bad luck..." he said with a weak laugh, glancing over to Hyde with a wry smile. "And I suppose my misdeeds are my own secret, wouldn't you agree?" he said, laughing lightly.

Hyde frowned when Nilo explained his dilemma. “I’m sorry; I didn’t really know about the disease or heard about it until now. I wasn’t trying to talk down about the whole thing. “ Hyde would say this as he softly patted Nilo on his back. “ You know something Nilo? I didn’t necessarily believe in bad luck, it’s more a case of fate. The predetermined things that happened in your life, and then you would have to deal with them regardless of what happens. I think that having such a disease isn’t something that we should take as the end of the world, you are still alive right? You also can see, that’s something to be thankful for. “

Hyde would take a deep sigh as he looked out into the sea. “We all have secrets; I have my own as well. But regardless of what those secrets are, it wouldn’t make me change my mind about you. Besides, I think you are currently living your life a lot better than most . Every day… I see you doing what you love.

The boy closed his eyes yet again, content with just listening to the beach's sounds and Hyde's words. He seemed sorry for not understanding his disease. He frowned, not having meant to come across as condescending or offended. He stayed quiet though as Hyde spoke of fate.

"... Fate..." he said in a whisper, his mind trailing off in a spree of thoughts. Fate... Miss. Divine told him his fate would be intertwined with that of the tower... He didn't know about fate, it was something that was so strange and now so prominent in his life. He didn't know what to say, to be frank at that, sighing lightly as he contemplated everything.

"... Hyde... Miss Divine said our fates where intertwined... What do you think that means...? What do you think will happen?" he asked curiously, resting his head against his knees again. He continued to listen to Hyde's words, honestly surprised at his last remark.

"... I... My life's not that special... I mean, I'm just me... A wisp in the breeze, a flower that will wilt all to quickly over time..." he said before smiling lightly. "... I love to be happy though... I starve myself of it so often and for so long... I sometimes forget how it feels to be this warm on the inside... I can't stop thinking about my mom when I feel this way... It reminds me of how she's always smiling... It makes me want to finally stop cutt-" the boy gasped, becoming very rigged and falling into a deathly silence. It wouldn't take a genius to realize what the boy meant by his words, and frankly put, the boy would be surprised if Hyde didn't put the pieces together.

Fates are intertwined huh? Hmm, from what I gather from it, it means that everything happens for a reason. We were supposed to meet each other, or maybe if this involves the tower, our fate as human beings or our lives or something is dependent on our own results and that same tower. So if fates are intertwined, it shouldn’t be a coincidence that you should fight. It’s better to make the most of that fate and make the proper adjustment that hopefully turns to your favor. Or maybe I’m…. Rambling?”

Hyde definitely upped the cheerfulness in his voice, he was determined on making Nilo feel better. However, he listened very carefully to Nilo’s words. “Cutting…….cutting yourself?” Hyde put his coconut down and reached for Nilo’s arm. He would then gently trace his fingers across to see if he came across any of the scars that would of healed. Regardless of whenever he came over them or not, Hyde was not approving of Nilo trying to throw his life away. “Nilo, you speak so fondly about your mom. I’m honestly jealous that you had a chance to be with her and you contain such a strong memory. I don’t have anything like that, and I’m really happy that you do….” Hyde would then let go of Nilo’s arm and look at his eyes.” I don’t know what happened to your mom, but I know she loved you very much. She would want you to grow up and be a great book writer someday! Maybe you could write a story about all of this persona stuff, people would treat it as a fictional read.”

Hyde didn’t know if this was working or not, but he still tried. “ I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, and I can’t fathom the amount of emotional pain you must be going through. However, there is always someone in your life that you could talk to about it. Like me! I can’t stand the idea of losing a precious friend….. wouldn’t want to lose you Nilo. You don’t have to do this alone, or go through your problems alone…. Ok?

The boy hardly resisted as Hyde took his arm, revealing the pale skin under his sweatshirt. Depending on how far up Hyde looked, Nilo's arm would be riddled and covered with scars of varying sizes and in different stages in healing. It was obvious that a few had been recently cut, probably cut before the boy had gotten to the beach. He stayed quiet, shivering as Hyde's fingers touched his arm. He listened to Hyde though, taking his arm away from him as soon as possible. He seemed slightly flustered though, his tone annoyed.

"Hyde, shut up... My mom's not dead... Don't speculate about things that you know nothing about..." he said with a strained sigh, looking towards him. "... I cut my self as punishment... Because I hurt my mom... I did something bad... And now she's sad..." he said with another sigh, looking down as the sand.

"... But... I promised her I'd become a better person... That I'd live to be her pride and joy..." he said with a light smile, looking over to Hyde. "... I don't know why I cut myself though... I still feel like I'm doing something wrong... That I've failed at something... And I can't put my finger on it..." he said a frown crossing his face.

"... I... I don't want to give up on life... I don't... I don't really understand my self..." he said with a sigh, looking out at the sea. "... I feel like an actual wisp... Bending to the will of the wind... Now that I've truly changed what my heart feels... It's as if I've lost the ability to continue on... Like my life has no real meaning... I know I have a purpose, and I won't stop until I've fulfilled it... But what does one do after coming out of such a deep depression...?" he asked as he looked out at the sea, the sun set now becoming beautiful blues and indigos.

Sorry……I did say I didn’t know what happened to your mom. Maybe my interpretation made it seem like I suspected the worst.” Hyde might have missed the boat on that small accusation, but he meant well with his words. Though, he did admit that he had to be a bit more careful with them. ”This might be very personal to you, but what did you do to your mom that was so bad? I mean, it’s always good to make these promises of being a better person, but I how could such a guilt trip lead you to cut yourself even after you already accepted yourself and realized your goals in life? Even if not all of them, at least one of them.

“Hyde would then lay back into the sand and close his eyes.” You know what I think Nilo? Even though your heart changed, you are still stuck in the mindset that things are still the way they used to be. By mentally accepting the change in your life and acting on it more, I think that things would be a bit better for you. What does one do after coming out of a great depression? You chase the light that intimated the change relentlessly! Your purpose in life isn’t limited to all of this persona stuff, there are so many more things that you have yet to grasp. Trust me, this isn’t even the limit Nilo, there is so much more out there for you.

The boy sighed and hugged his legs closer to him, the cicada's whines spilling out of the jungle and onto the beach. The sun had set, plunging the beach into a brief darkness before the moon's rays made the sand glow a dazzling white. He stayed quiet, trying to contemplate what he was going to say.

"... I committed suicide... And failed at it..." he said dryly, looking up at the moon with a sigh. "... My dad was abusive... He hated me and my very existence... But... When he died... My mom was forced to live with the loss of her husband and then forced to work to keep me... Well, alive and healthy..." he said, sighing and shaking his head.

"... I was going to make her free... To let her finally out of the cage I forced her in..." he laughed ruefully, sighing again. "... But she loved me... I never thought of that possibility... She really loved me... And now, every day... I do my best to make her happy... More so now with what new resolve Jack gave me... But I still cut myself... Every day... Slice slice slice slice... I'm still... Unhappy about something, not willing to face the truth behind something... I want to stay miserable but... Why...? There's... There's no point in being so... I have so many good friends now... A team... My mother who loves me... What is it that has me wanting to be so miserable...? Why is it I can do things right... But still fail so miserably...?" he asked no one in particular, looking down at the sand now, a tear slipping through his eye.