It was probably around five in the morning when Alfred woke him up.
"Kiku! Dude, get up!" the blond whisper-yelled.
"Nan desu ka? What is it?"
"I need to use the bathroom. Can't go alone. Let's go."
Carefully dragging Kiku out of his sleeping bag and into the bathroom, the two quickly got changed as Alfred explained his real plan.
"They call them mud snails for a reason." he smirked. "They like to live in the mud. And when is the mud out?"
Alfred stared at him for a bit, anticipating an answer but Kiku just shrugged. "Well, that would be low tide. Which is now. So we gotta go."
As Alfred dragged Kiku out of the museum and outside, the latter noticed something on the blond's arm. "Alfred... Are you okay? You didn't have that there yesterday." Kiku asked, pointing to the thumb shaped bruise on his wrist.
Alfred stopped quickly and looked down at his arm. "Yikes, that? After you went to sleep I had another little argument with Ivan."
"Why do you two hate each other so much?"
"Hmm... Well it all started in astronomy. He told me that I put the ass in astronaut and I couldn't come up with an insult for cosmonauts, so I told him to go suck Joseph Stalin's dick. Then we fought, both got detention, and the rest is history."
Kiku sighed. What? Was this 1962? Why'd he have to be partnered up with such a problematic child?
The two made it down to the beach and Kiku's eyes widened. In between giant rocks were black shells buried in the mud, glistening in the moonlight.
Alfred hopped over the rocks and picked one up. "Wanna hold him while I take a pic?"
Kiku nodded, immediately regretting it due to the slimy feeling on his fingertips.
"Y'know they don't have very good eyesight. They react to vibrations instead! Put your hand against your chin and start humming a song, it'll make him come out."
The black haired teen raised a skeptical eyebrow at his partner, but Alfred insisted for him to go through with it. Kiku awkwardly hummed an old lullaby while Alfred watched his fingertips in anticipation for the snail to come out. After five minutes of doing so, Kiku grew tired.
"Alfred, I look dumb. Can we please stop-"
"Look! Look! He's out!" Alfred cheered snapping a photo with their camera. "We did it Kiku! We got everything on the list! All thanks to these stupid-"
"Mud snails!" Gilbert shouted, running past the two and grabbing a handful of the slimy creatures. Kiku winced as he looked over to Alfred whose mouth had made a perfect "O" shape.
"Gil!? How did you- Matthew!" Alfred shouted, turning around and facing his twin brother. "Why did you tell him!?"
"What? You don't think that I wanna win too? And in all fairness, you told Kiku. Therefore, I can tell Gil."
"Well yeah, but the difference between Kiku and Gil is the fact that Gil will actually go through with it, and Kiku will just wait for me to go through with it."
It was too early in the morning for Kiku to feel offended right now, so he just watched on the sibling drama like it was some type of soap opera.
"C'mon, Al. Why are you bothering me? You go talk to Gil! He is your best friend after all."
"Fine! Maybe I will!" Alfred shouted, storming over to his albino friend. Matthew rolled his eyes and walked over to Kiku.
"Sorry, I was pretty awkward when we first met. Crowds aren't really my thing. I'm Matthew, Al's brother. I really need to give you props for handling with his bullshit for a full day already. Normally that's a hard task for one to accomplish."
Kiku nodded. "It's... It's really nothing. Alfred isn't really as bad as he first seemed. Th-Though sometimes..."
Matthew chuckled as a way to show he understood. The two were silent for a moment until Matthew spoke up once again. "So you moved here from Japan, huh? Sorry if this is a personal question, but do you ever get homesick?"
"Yes... All the time." Kiku answered truthfully. Matthew nodded and sighed. "Me too. I know Ottawa isn't as far as Japan, but I've just been finding it so hard to fit in and make friends. I'm not sure if it's just my personality. Cause Al seemed to have had the easiest time fitting in with everyone. Making friends left and right. I just don't know how he does it."
It was quiet as Kiku let Matthew's words sink in. "No. It's the same way for me. No matter how many people I surround myself with, I still feel lonely. I'm not sure if it's the language barrier, or my terrible social skills. But I just wish I could rush back to my old home and never leave again."
Matthew nodded in agreement with Kiku's words. "I mean, if it helps... Your English is magnificent. You speak better than my Grandmère and she's been in the country for fifty-seven years."
"Thank you..." Kiku smiled. Matthew returned the grin with a chuckle. "I love quick therapy sessions with strangers early in the morning." he remarked, causing both boys to laugh. "Say, Kiku... How about we not be strangers anymore? Let's be friends." Matthew smiled, offering Kiku his hand. The latter shook it graciously.
"You're confident when sleep-deprived."
"Ye-up." Matthew chuckled. "Hey, we may be far from our homes, but at least there's a... How would Al put this? Uh... ahem, a 'bomb-ass sunrise.'" he remarked, attempting his best impression of his brother.
The two teens laughed and silently enjoyed the sunrise together. That is, until the screaming from the others interrupted this serene moment.
"Mattie, Kiku! Let's go!" Alfred shouted, grabbing the two by the arm and pulling them up an unfamiliar trail (followed by Gilbert).
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see!"
After walking for what seemed like well over half an hour, the four teens made it over to a clearing that Kiku found oddly familiar.
"Alfred. You've gotta be kidding me." Right above the group was a huge radar tower that looked like something straight out of a horror game. Kiku looked up at the mysterious building, and immediately gripped his head in pain. What's with this place? "Al, you're an idiot! We have to go back! Before we get caught!"
"Why, you scared Mattie?"
"Scared of going to jail and having to explain to Mom and Dad why I was expelled? Yes!"
"Oh c'mon, Mattie! Don't be a stick in the mud! This is the most vocal I've ever heard you, and you're gonna go around acting like this?" Gilbert chuckled. "Alf and I have this bet. We each go in there for twenty minutes at the same time. The first one to chicken out loses and the winner gets to claim the scavenger hunt prize!"
"Breakfast doesn't start till nine so we've got plenty of time!" Alfred beamed.
"Are you two sure about this? What happened to that 'whoever comes here dies' legend thing?"
"Oh we all know it's not true! We just pretend it is to piss off Eduard. Nerds are funny when mad."
"Y'know they closed this place off for a reason. There could be bombs, poisonous chemicals..."
"Damn Mattie I didn't know you cared about us so much!" Alfred smirked. Matthew rolled his eyes. "Fine. Twenty minutes on the clock. Starting... now."
The two teens hopped the chain link fence and sprinted inside as Matthew set off his phone's timer. Now that the distraction is gone, Kiku can think. Where has he seen this place before? How come the more he looks at it, the worse his headache gets? Why didn't his mother just let him stay home?
"Hey, Kiku? Are you okay? Your face is getting kinda red..."
"No... I'm-I'm fine..."
Matthew shot a disbelieving frown at him. Before Kiku could protest, Matthew carried him over towards the woods and sat him down against a tree.
"Here, this should help..." the blond smiled, giving Kiku a sip from his hydro flask.
Kiku thanked him for his help, and the two sat quietly, waiting for their partners' dumb challenge to be over with. The water did in fact help his headache, but not by much.
After the twenty minutes was up, neither of the boys had left the radar tower yet. Matthew called for them, but to no avail. "You've gotta be kidding me..." the teen groaned. "Kiku, if I'm not back in ten minutes, can you please go looking for me?"
Kiku gulped and nodded, fearing for his friends' lives. Why couldn't they just settle their argument with rock paper scissors like normal teenagers?
And just to Kiku's dismay, ten minutes had passed and there was still no sign of the boys anywhere. Luckily, his headache from earlier had subsided but that was most likely due to the fear that had engulfed his body.
Kiku Honda is a horror movie guru. He loves anything and everything scary. But somehow, when he is faced with such in real life, it's a completely different story.
After jumping the fence and making it through the back door, Kiku saw no signs of any of the boys. "Matthew? Alfred? Gilbert? It's way passed the timer, please come out." he called out as he walked through the dark building. Thankfully, Matthew had left his backpack behind so that Kiku could use his flashlight.
The interior of the building was just as Kiku imagined. It was dark and murky with moss growing all over the gray walls, covering over the graffiti that has been there for god knows how long.
"Guys? Where are you?" Kiku called out, raising his volume a bit more. Those guys could be anywhere. This building is a lot bigger than it looks on the outside.
After another twenty minutes, Kiku still found himself wandering through the dark hallways. At this point, he was debating between his options. He could go back to the museum and ask the adults for some help, leave and play dumb, or he can continue on with his search. He concluded that the latter option is better because he doesn't want to risk getting suspended or ending up as a witness in court.
Eventually, Kiku stumbled upon a large steel door. It seemed to be the only intact surface in this whole building. No graffiti, no moss, no mold... This couldn't be good.
And just as that thought entered Kiku's mind, the teen could hear faint footsteps coming from down the hall.
Without a moment's hesitation, he shut off his flashlight completely and hid in a separate hallway.
"Where do you think it could be?" a panicked woman's voice asked. "Do you think those boys were sent as a diversion? It could be stolen!"
"No, doctor. Calm yourself. Those are just some inane children. We get those here all the time." came another woman's voice. "Sure they were a nuisance, but just a simple DNA test and memory erase, we'll have them home in no time."
The footsteps and voices quickly died down after the sound of the steel door slamming shut came through. Kiku let out a quick sigh of relief despite the fact his mind was racing. Boys? Memory erase? They had to be talking about his friends. But what could he do about it?
Before Kiku could even devise an unsuccessful plan, he felt two cold hands on his back. He screamed out in pain as he felt his headache return. But this time it was more like a migraine.
"Shh!" the figure holding Kiku scolded. The teen felt cold fingers rub against his forehead. Suddenly his migraine was gone. Opening his eyes slowly, Kiku came face to face with the same large red eyes he had seen in his dream only a day ago.
Before he could let out another scream, the creature held his mouth shut. "Shh, Kiku!" it chastised.
"What-What are you!?" Kiku whisper-yelled. The creature ignored him and looked around. It looked straight out of a sci-fi film. Its big red eyes against its large gray head. Two small slits which most likely acted as its nose, and then its oddly humanoid hands and feet.
"Follow." the being commanded. Kiku complied, though he hesitated for a second. But at this point, what's he got to lose?
The creature led him through a small crawl space against the wall and out another opening leading to a dimly-lit heated room. Four tall seemingly human figures walked around the room. Kiku had to hold in a gasp when he saw what was hidden in the back.
Pinned up against the wall and fast asleep were all three boys he had been searching for. "Kiku?" the creature whispered, turning towards the teen. "Your friends?" it questioned. Kiku nodded.
"Wait." the creature said, right before disappearing.
Not long after, a loud crash was heard somewhere else in the building. "What was that!?" yelled a man's voice.
"We better check it out!" replied one of the women from earlier. As all four headed to the door, one stopped along with a smaller one. "Mila, we need you to stay here and finish with those DNA tests so we can proceed with the memory erase. Got it?"
"What? But I'd promise I'd get the alien back for you! I need to go and help!" the young girl insisted.
The woman sighed. "No. Just look where that got us the last few times. If you really want to help, then go through with the tests. And that's final." she concluded with a door slam. Five minutes later, the creature appeared next to Kiku once again and motioned for him to be silent.
It slowly crawled out and approached the girl. "Hello."
The girl gasped and dropped the small valve of blood in her hand. "Holy shit! It's here! The alien! It's actually here! I need to go get Maya and the doctors! Holy shit! Stay still for two seconds okay?" before the girl could even pick up her walkie talkie, the creature, who Kiku assumed was just an alien, squeezed onto her opposing wrist, causing her to faint.
"Kiku, follow." the alien called. Kiku complied and followed it to the back of the room where his friends lay. It grabbed the keys that the girl had in her hand and stuck it into the computer's panel. The bars that were confining his friends soon gave way, causing them all to crash on the floor and wake up.
"Wait! Before you scream," Kiku shouted. "There's a good explanation for this. But if we don't get out of here soon we die."
"What is that supposed to- HOLY SHIT!" Alfred shouted.
"Shh!!" the alien chastised. But it was too late.
"Mila? Mila!?" calls could faintly be heard from behind the door. The alien looked at all the others with a worried expression. "Run."
And they did just that. Rushing everyone into the crawl space, the group quickly exited the building and hopped the fence and ran into the forest. Once they all felt as if they were far enough from the tower, the five of them stopped for a quick breath and an explanation of what the hell just happened.
"Kiku..." Matthew panted. "What happened after I went in there to look for these two..."
"Ten minutes passed and I went to look for you. Then I ran into this... guy? And he helped me find you... Alfred, Gilbert, what happened to you?"
"I dunno about Al, but that weird red-head chick found me and I just blacked out." Gilbert stated, clearly stressed about the whole situation. Alfred nodded. "Same here. Though, she asked me if I had anymore friends around here and I said no."
"I didn't even get to see what happened to me." Matthew sighed. "Now, Kiku... What's with that... Well, what even is it?"
Kiku looked down at his alien friend, who seemed to have on a cheerful expression despite what the five of them had just been through. "I-I don't know... The girl in there mentioned something about an alien... But that's all I could catch."
"An alien!?" Alfred shouted, "Wow! This really is the Area 51 of Long Island! Can he talk? Can he talk?"
"Way to assume it's a guy, mister know-it-all." Matthew sighed. Alfred rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry can they talk?"
Everyone averted their eyes over to the alien and watched in anticipation. After a few minutes of waiting Gilbert grew annoyed and scoffed. "Oh will you just fucking get on with it already!?"
Everyone stared at Gilbert in shock. The alien sighed and took a deep breath. "Fucking."
"Whoa! Dude, that's so cool. Do you have a name?"
"What the fuck did he just say?"
"Fucking."
"Yeah a name. Like... My name is Alfred. His name is Kiku. and Their names are Mattie and Gil." Alfred smiled.
The others looked at each other confused. "Wait, Al... You actually understood that? Cause all I heard was fucking." Matthew asked, dumbfounded.
Alfred returned the expression with wide eyes. "You heard what? You mean none of you have any idea of what he just said?" Everyone nodded.
"Fucking."
"He says that his native language would be too hard for us to even comprehend. His mind picks up words in our language around him and it helps him form sentences. He doesn't know the meaning of all the words yet so it's just easier for him to use a base word, like fucking! He likes it because it sounds funny. He's also surprised that I can even understand him. He says it must be some type of neurological condition. He's not sure if it's good or bad though..."
"You got all of that just from him saying fucking?" Matthew asked, eyebrows raised.
"Yep. Now c'mon dude, you gotta give us that name!"
"Fucking."
"What!? How am I supposed to pronounce that!? I'm gonna give you a super cool, American name. How bout Tony? Yeah! I like Tony!"
"Tony? That doesn't sound like a very awesome name..." Gilbert chuckled.
"What!? There's plenty of awesome Tonys in this world! Tony Stark, Tony Hawk..."
"That's only two."
"Yeah, but still!"
"I like Tony!" the alien beamed. Everyone gasped. "Was that... English?" Kiku mused.
"Chill out, he's just repeating what I said. Right, Tony?"
"Fucking!"
"Please, excuse me, but I think we're completely ignoring our biggest problems here..." Kiku sighed. "We just came out of some weird science place with an alien, we're out in the middle of nowhere..."
"And we might as well be considered federal fugitives." Matthew finished. Everyone looked at him with wide-eyes. "What? We broke into a federal base, ran away from federal workers, and stole some federal property." he replied, gesturing towards Tony.
"Fucking..."
"Hey, don't worry bud, Mattie's just on his man period. That's all." Alfred said, giving his extra terrestrial friend a hug. "Look what you did, Mattie! You made Tony sad! He's not property, he's a person!"
"Alfred, that's an alien."
"Not you too, Gil!" Alfred whined. "Kiku, please!"
Kiku was conflicted. There's no way all that just happened actually took place. He's seen this alien in his past dream, right? Maybe this is just another dream. He's going to wake up in that stuffy lighthouse room and everything will be fine. No aliens, no crazy doctors, no government bases... Just the idiotic boys of the tenth grade class. Or... that's only what he wants himself to think...
"Tony... Why are you here? Why did you come to me?"