No River Wide Enough | Entropy Take the Journey

𝐈.𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ━━━━━━

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￣￣  :hearts:   :hearts:   :hearts:   :hearts:   :hearts:   ￣￣

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A little bit of a crazy story with this one, using an OC who has been in a variety of other stories but has yet to have a wiki. Enjoy! Cover art is by @lazymimium

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━━━━━━ 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏.𝐒𝐈𝐒 ━━━━━━

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Peri is a child who can't take no for an answer, and schemes up a crazy plan to get what she wants.

➥ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:

              Peridot Middleton

             Ru Aue

➥ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Idk

➥ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 4,679

➥ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 25,277

”Honey, don’t be ridiculous,” Peri’s mother scoffed as she prepared dinner. “I understand wanting to meet an online friend, but I’m not going to pay for a visit to Japan. Besides, what if she’s catfishing you? That could be a middle-aged man for all you know.”

”I talk to her on voice call every night,” Peri repeated the same thing she said every time her mother brought up her concerns. “We even video call sometimes.”

”There’s all kinds of technology that let people alter their voice, and AI can generate a fake face too, I’ve read,” came her predictable response.

”Mom, she’s listed on her middle school’s webpage as somebody who’s attending S.K. next grade,” Peri tapped her foot impatiently. “She’s a real person.”

”Well, maybe the catfisher is using a real person as their alias, to lull you into a false sense of security? Ooh, or maybe the entire website was created by—”

”Mom, scammers don’t put that much effort into things!” Peri interrupted, ready to pull her hair out. “They don’t need to, there are thousands of people who would hand over their social security number if you just ask nicely enough! I’m not asking for us to move to Japan, just, like, a 3-day trip. We have the money! I have the money! I’ve been saving up, I just need an adult to—”

”The answer is no,” her mother’s voice was stern. “You can be friends without having to meet in real life. What’s the difference? Do you want to go to a restaurant together? Eat food while on call. Wanna watch a movie? Stream it to her.”

Peri didn’t even respond. She stormed out of the kitchen, and down the hall to her room. Every time she brought up the idea, it was like the two were reading a script. No matter how much time ed, her mother refused to let her visit her closest friend. She locked her bedroom door and flopped down onto her bed, pulling out her phone to text the person in question.

Me

I’m so mad

Mom doesn’t care about my social life

Even though I’ve saved enough money to pay for the whole thing, she won’t let me come visit

She doesn’t care about how important you are to me

I swear, it’s like she’s too prideful to turn back on a decision she made 2 years ago

We’ve known each other for 2 years and she still thinks you’re dangerous!

She tossed her phone to the side, letting it bounce on the mattress as she waited for a response. She felt like tearing up her pillow. Instead, she grabbed the TV remote and chucked it across the room in frustration. It hit the wall, and the backing popped off, causing the batteries to spill out.

She lay on her bed for a few moments, already bored. She collected and reassembled the remote, turning on the TV and scrolling through streaming services until her phone buzzed. She eagerly reached over and grabbed it.

Ru

fuck her

dude that sucks wth

ur gonna be in high school soon how much longer does she think she can control u

idk how much time we can spend together when i start training

we need to meet before then for sure

Me

I wish there was a way I could just fake a port

and run away and fly over

Ru

honestly u could

i can pay for the fake documents and shit

Me

No, I wasn’t being serious…

I just really wanna meet you irl

I mean, have you ever heard of two soulmates who aren’t allowed to meet?

Ru

u mean other than every romance story?

but i get what u mean

i wanna see u too

once im old enough and done with school ill come to u

Me

But that’s so far in the future!

I wanna see you now

Ru

alas the world is against us

i gotta get to sleep but u can rant if u want

ill reply in the morning

gn

ily

Me

I love you too

Peri leaned back into the bed again, anger churning in her heart.

*            . • .     • .                 • .    • °. •.    •     . •    . • . ✦• . • .      • . • .               •.     . • . • .    •                  ★               . • . ★     . ° . •          . • .       • *.     •         *            . •★     . ° . •          . • .

Peri didn’t know if her parents heard her close the car door or peel out of the driveway. She was definitely gone before they got to the doors, that’s for sure. She had left early in the morning, before there were many cars on the road because she had never driven on a road and wasn’t completely confident.

It was a 45-minute drive to the ocean, but it took her a couple of hours with how slow she was going. By the time she pulled into a parking space at the beach, her phone was nearly dead. It was frustrating because she needed its battery to last as long as possible. Looking around, she spotted a few buildings nearby, including a McDonalds. She would simply have to charge the phone.

She was anxious the entire time she sat at the table. Her eyes were glued to the window, waiting for police cars to pull in and take her home. She knew her parents had no way of tracking her exact location right now, since she had turned off GPS the moment she saw the water. The moment her screen said 100%, she grabbed it and made her way out to the boardwalk.

She stood at the end, overlooking the water. She had never done something so crazy in her life. And yet, there was no way to get through to her mother the need to meet her friend. This was her only option unless she wanted to wait 3 years. Who’s to say they’d still be friends by that point? She pulled out her phone and texted Ru.

Me

I’m omw

I’m swimming

Don’t worry, I have all the supplies I need

I’m gonna swim until I can find a boat to jump onto

You know how my quirk works

In case something bad happens

Sharing Location

With that, Peri slipped her phone into a waterproof bag. She made sure it was sealed perfectly, then took a deep breath, knowing she wouldn’t be able to breathe air again until she was out of the water completely. Then, she dived into the cold ocean.

Immediately, gills opened on her neck, and her pupils overtook her iris and sclera. Her teeth became sharpened fangs and her hands and feet grew webbing. Her eyes now much more sensitive to light, she had to squint under the harsh glare of the morning sun. She walked on the bottom of the sea as if she were on land, moving forward in hopes of going deeper, where it would be darker.

Once she was at a depth where her eyes were sufficiently painless, she allowed herself to start floating in the open water. No longer bound to the floor, she pushed forward in a practiced motion. She glided through the water like a fish, unimpeded by friction.

She looked upward to ensure she could still see the light above. Her plan depended on being able to see the shadows of ships. She didn’t hold visions of swimming all the way to Japan, that would be far too tiring and could open up the possibility of getting lost. She wanted to hitch a ride and use her quirk to make the journey easier. She had it all planned out.

Fish swam alongside her as if a human with gills moving at such speed was a normal occurrence. None fled her, detecting no threat. As she swam farther and farther out, the ocean floor disappeared into an abyss below her, too deep and dark for even her enhanced sight to spot. The fish thinned out, too far from the plants they feed on. Eventually, all that surrounded her was blue.

When Peri realized there were no fish around her, she hesitated. She had brought food, but she couldn’t eat it underwater. She had planned on feasting on fish around her when she got hungry. Raw fish wasn’t the most appetizing, but her quirk allowed their consumption without any negative consequences, and her fangs easily tore through their scales.

She would just have to figure it out. She could surface and eat one of the sandwiches she had packed, even though they were meant to be eaten on the ship once she found one. Or, the next time she came across a fish, she could kill it and keep it with her until she grew hungry. Thinking back on it, she should have collected fish on her way. She considered turning around to do a bit of hunting, but her anxiety pushed her forward.

Even though swimming was typically exhausting, it was as easy as walking for her. It required no excessive amount of effort, and she was able to swim for hours before she felt the first twinge of hunger. She ignored it, knowing she could last at least an hour or two before it became painful. She didn’t want to waste what little food she had by eating the moment she was the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, her paranoia about not being able to find fish on the way kept her mind on food, which only made her hunger grow. Frustrated with herself, Peri ascended 45 minutes after she first felt hunger. As she approached the light, she had to squint more and more, until it was too bright to bear. She closed her eyes as she got closer to the surface. She stopped when her head broke the water, and dipped it back in since she currently couldn’t breathe air. She slid her bag off her back and lifted it above the water.

It was difficult to locate the small zipper with her eyes closed, but her fingers found the small metal tag. She unzipped the bag and felt around until she found a Ziploc bag. She allowed the Ziploc to float for a few seconds as she resealed the pack and returned it to her shoulders.

She took a deep breath and held it as her head broke the surface. She took the sandwich out of the bag and started taking bites, dipping her head back underwater while she chewed so she could breathe. It was a bothersome routine, but it was better than a disintegrating sandwich.

After she had finished, she poked her head above the water one more time to survey for any ships in the distance. She cracked open one eye, ignoring the pain of the intense light of the sun. It was a little panic-inducing, realizing there was no landmass in sight. She quickly submerged again to avoid getting overwhelmed with fear, returning to the depths where her eyes were able to rest.

Luckily, within the next couple of hours of her swim, she came across a school of small fish. One would not filly her at all, so she awkwardly swiped at the swarm, trying to catch as many as possible. She managed to snatch three before they caught on to the fact she was a threat. They quickly scattered, each now a singular, small target rather than a swarm. Peri conceded to accept her catch, killing them and stuffing them in a not-so-waterproof purse she also had on her. Of course, its typical contents were safe in the bag.

Her journey paused when the light above her disappeared. Without any way to keep an eye out for ships, and knowing she still needed rest, she knew she would just have to float in the open water as she slept. She had done it once before, sleeping in a friend’s pool to see if she could. It had been disorienting, and not very comfortable, but it was possible.

Peri took one last look around her, trying to spot any potential dangers, but there was nothing but darkness. She knew there was not much she needed to fear. From her experience living near a beach, she knew aquatic life didn’t view her as a human. Everything ignored her, even things that would typically appreciate her as a nice meal.

She hesitantly curled up and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t expect she’d be able to sleep at all, but her body was sore from the constant movement, and the fatigue inevitably caught up with her. She drifted off as she lamented the fact she would need to surface upon waking to use the com, subjecting herself to the harsh light once more.

*            . • .     • .                 • .    • °. •.    •     . •    . • . ✦• . • .      • . • .               •.     . • . • .    •                  ★               . • . ★     . ° . •          . • .       • *.     •         *            . •★     . ° . •          . • .

Thankfully, the sun hadn’t peaked over the horizon when she awoke. She was able to surface with minimal eye strain, the sky painted beautiful colors as it awaited the arrival of its light source. She confirmed she was still heading west, took a look around for ships, and resumed her swim.

The second day was a lot more tough. Her muscles were sore from a full day of swimming. Even though it wasn’t as tiring, it still used muscles, and she hoped she would find a ship soon. She had looked up some information, and knowing her top speed, knew it would take a full week of swimming, even at her speed, to reach Japan. There was no way she could maintain her top speed for a week, though. She could sustain it for about an hour before needing to slow down for two.

For her second meal of the day, Peri had to surface to consume another sandwich. This time, however, she was immediately distracted by the blurry shape in the distance, sitting atop the water. It was too large to be a buoy, which meant it had to be a boat. Ecstatic that she could finally rest, she dashed over, her hunger forgotten.

She stayed submerged as she approached, knowing almost all boats wouldn’t appreciate a stowaway. She squinted at it through the pain and water, identifying it as a cargo boat. Shipping containers sat on a large deck, and there was no human in sight. She took the opportunity to launch out of the water and onto the deck. Unable to breathe, she quickly pulled a small towel from her bag and started to dry off her throat. As she wiped away the water, her fins disappeared, and she took in a gulp of air. Transitioning from water to land was always hectic, as she needed to be dry to destransform, which was a lot harder than getting wet to transform.

Now able to breathe, Peri went about drying herself off with a lot less urgency. As she wiped off her eyes, the pupils shrunk to a manageable size, and she blinked as everything came back into focus. She laid down, grateful to be on solid ground, even if it wasn’t land. She had no idea where the ship was headed, but she could stick with it as long as it was going in the right direction. If they ended up in the wrong country, she would restock on supplies and continue her journey.

After a few moments, she fished her phone out of her bag. As she suspected, the charge was very low, but it was still alive since the screen had been powered off for so long. She had no service, but there were some texts she had received shortly after submerging before she lost all service.

Ru

peri that's badass and all but ur joking right?

peri plz answer

peri why tf does it say ur in the water

wtf r u doing

Clicking the shared location she had sent earlier revealed she had lost signal sometime yesterday, as it still showed her near the California shoreline. She quickly checked her other texts before her phone died.

Mom

PERIDOT. RAE. MIDDLETON.

YOU CAN BET YOUR ASS THAT YOU’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO RU AGAIN ONCE WE FIND YOU

YOU’RE GROUNDED FOR LIFE

Peri powered off her phone, wanting to save the 5% that was left for any emergency calls once she had service. There was a hint of guilt in her for enacting such an insane plan, essentially running away because her mom wouldn’t take her to Japan.

”Yeah, the security cameras picked up movement over here,” she heard a voice say. At first, she panicked when she realized she was about to be found, but quickly composed herself. She had already planned this. She waited patiently as two men rounded the corner, both jumping in surprise upon seeing her. “Stowaway!”

”We did a thorough check of the cargo and ship before departing,” the other man said in a gruff voice, reading her body language to know she wasn’t a threat. “How did you get past that?”

”I didn’t,” she shrugged. “I wasn’t on this ship until about five minutes ago.”

”Impossible!” the first guy squealed. “We’ve been at sea for at least 24 hours!”

”I’m essentially a mermaid,” she summed up her quirk. “I was swimming across the sea, and now I’m hitching a ride with you guys. Where is this boat headed, by the way?”

”You’re a little kid,” the calmer guy noted. “We have to turn around and return. Where are you from?”

”You’d just be wasting time,” Peri objected. “If you turn around, I’ll just jump off the boat and wait for you to continue your journey. You either take me to where you’re going, or you return to America with all this cargo and no stowaway. Oh, if you’re worried about supplies, don’t be. I am entirely self-sufficient thanks to my quirk, and I have no intention of robbing you.”

The older man just shook his head. “Whatever,” he mumbled, turning around and walking away. “We’re not liable if you die, though.”

”You’re okay with this?” the other man asked incredulously.

”You heard her. Can’t do anything about it,” he called back as his voice became more distant.

”Where is this ship going?” Peri repeated.

The man looked at her dumbfoundedly. “We’re going to South Korea,” he finally caved.

”That’s perfect!” Peri beamed. “Japan is, like, right there! I’ll probably hop off near Japan.”

”I’ll be keeping my eye on you,” the man threatened. “Just so you know, there are cameras covering every inch of this deck. We will know if you steal from us.” He glared at her as he followed his boss back to whence they came.

Peri spent several days on the ship. She would dive into the water whenever she was hungry, catching any fish she could find. When she emerged empty-handed, some of the crew was nice enough to give her some of their food. The deck was uncomfortable, but at least she wasn’t swimming the whole way.

”I think that’s Japan,” she heard one of the crew shout over to her at the end of the week. Peri quickly sat up, looking into the distance. Sure enough, there was a smudge on the horizon. “Land ho!” they cheered.

Peri started packing up the small station she had set up for herself. The land ahead had to be Japan unless the captain intentionally avoided it just to spite her. No, that would be too much of a detour, especially considering Japan was right to the east of South Korea, meaning there was no logical reason to not see it.

After a few more hours, Peri decided her swimming speed would be more effective. She bid farewell to the ship’s crew and dived into the water, making a beeline for the land. She finally surfaced on a beach, quickly drying herself off and searching for the nearest fast food place. She wanted to eat something other than sailor’s food and raw fish. Also, she needed to charge her phone.

After a nice Big Mac, Peri texted Ru.

Me

It worked!

Google Maps says I’m in Yamamoto.

It’ll be a few hours to get to your place

But I’m gonna get a taxi

or train

Wait I didn’t do any research on public transportation in Japan lol

As she texted her friend, her phone buzzed incessantly as all the texts from the past week reached her phone. Most of them were from Ru and her parents, but there were a few other people who noticed her absence as well. She ignored them all.

After a half-day of train rides and subway navigation, Peri finally arrived in Ru’s city. She plugged in her address and hopped in a taxi, eager to meet her friend. Finally, she found herself in front of a house, rereading the address in their pinned messages to confirm she was at the right place.

Her finger eagerly pressed the doorbell, and she took a step back, buzzing with excitement. However, the person who opened the door was not Ru. Her heart sank upon the recognition of a police uniform, different than those in the States but still clearly law enforcement. The stranger started shouting at her in Japanese before a familiar face showed up behind him. “Ru!” Peri shouted eagerly.

”Peri!” Ru shoved the police officer aside and ran out to throw her arms around her friend. “You’re so dumb! What made you think you should swim here? Your parents made a whole fuss, we’ve had a police officer with us the last week, waiting for you to arrive.”

”I’m just so happy to see you,” Peri tightened her hug, ignoring Ru’s concerns. It was already something she had been thinking about the entire week.

Ru was pried off Peri by the police officer, who was still shouting. “Peri, you have to follow him,” Ru translated the gist of the message. “You’re ed as a missing person right now. What were you thinking? You could have died!”

”Can’t you ask him to just give us, like, 30 minutes?” Peri asked, looking up at the imposing officer. “It’s not like I was kidnapped or anything.”

”Peri, you’re 13 and you ran away from your parents for a week,” Ru pinched the bridge of her nose. “They’re not just gonna let you hang out. Your parents have been worried sick! They’ve stopped by every day hoping to hear some news. You didn’t bother to tell them your plan, you barely told me your plan!”

”My parents are here?” Peri asked incredulously, but the cop seemingly had enough of her ignoring him. He grabbed her arm and dragged her to a nearby police car. “Ru, I don’t know where he’s gonna take me, but meet me there, okay? I didn’t come all this way to share three sentences with you!”

At the precinct, thorough checks were done to ensure Peri’s health and safety. She was finally brought back to her parents, who sat impatiently in the lobby. The moment they saw her, her mother ran over and hugged her so tightly, that the air was squeezed out of her lungs. “Even your friend knows how dumb this idea was!” she scolded as she hugged. “You could have gotten lost, you could have starved to death, you could have been kidnapped!”

Peri shoved her mom off of her. “I wouldn’t have had to take matters into my own hands if you had just let me visit my best friend in the whole world.”

”So you thought an appropriate reaction to being told no is to swim across the Pacific?!” her father demanded. He turned toward the cop escorting Peri and asked slowly, “Do you have…her phone?” He gestured with his hands to try and communicate. After a bit of confusion and repetition, her bag and purse were handed over to her father, who fished the phone out.

”You are not allowed to have a phone until you’re in high school,” her mother announced.

”You can’t do that!” Peri shouted, instantly angry. “You can’t tell me I’m not allowed to meet Ru, and then take away the only—”

”Peri!” a voice interrupted her. She turned her head to see Ru storming in through the doors. “It’s insane that you made it here, and it’s so sweet you wanted to see me that bad, but this plan stinks through and through.” She crossed her arms.

”Are you really taking my parents’ side?” Peri asked, shocked.

”I don’t care what your parents say or think,” she snorted. “I know your quirk makes the ocean the perfect place for you to live, but there were so many ways that could have gone wrong. What if you never found a ship? Did you plan on swimming for a month? What if you got hurt? What if you ran out of food? And did you really not think through what would happen once you made it to Japan? You didn’t think your parents might be looking for you? The last thing I want is for you to die, so what possessed you to think this was a good idea?”

”It worked out fine,” Peri rolled her eyes. “You guys are all being sticks in the mud. I know what I’m capable of.” She decided not to mention the people who had given her food when she caught none. She turned toward her parents. “Please, mom, dad. Ru is right here. Let me spend at least a day with her.”

”No,” came the answer she expected, but not from either of her parents. She turned toward Ru, wondering if she heard right. Sure enough, she continued. “What you did was so selfish and suicidal. That is not something you should be rewarded for. You didn’t give a shit about anybody else when you made this plan. You barely gave a shit about yourself when thinking it up. I’m not going to enable you to think this was acceptable.”

”Why do you care?” Peri whined. “Ru, we finally get to hang out! I know there might have been some flaws in the plan, and it’s dangerous, but I did it for us! I didn’t want to wait three more years. What if we’re not friends then?”

”You really have so little faith in our friendship?” Ru shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong, Peri, I’m ecstatic to see you too. But I refuse to let our friendship be an excuse for you to do this kind of stuff. That’s toxic.”

”I actually agree with your friend,” Peri’s mother spoke up. “The last thing I expected was for her to agree that you should go home. Internet friends stay Internet friends.”

”But I won’t be able to talk to her for a year!” Peri protested. “You took my phone away!”

”I have your address, and you have mine,” Ru reminded her. “We can write.”

Peri clenched her fists, upset that despite everything she had been through to get here, everybody seemed determined to make it worthless. Even Ru, who she thought would be overjoyed to see her, wanted her to leave. “Peri,” Ru said, softer. “We’ll meet on a better timeline. When we’re both older. In the meantime, once you get your phone back, we’ll call every night to play games and watch shows together. That’s good enough for me.”

Peri refused to meet her eyes. After a few moments of silence, her mother patted her shoulder, signaling it was time to leave. Despite her fury, Peri forced herself to hug Ru once more in farewell, lamenting how terribly everything had taken a turn.

”I’ll see you later,” Ru promised.

”I wanted to see you today.”

”Consider this a sneak peek. Please be patient, don’t put yourself in danger for my sake ever again.”

With that, Peri’s parents shepherded her out the door, toward the airport.

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 ━━━━━━

╰─────────────────╮

￣￣  :hearts:   :hearts:   :hearts:   :hearts:   :hearts: ￣￣

________ ________ ________

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I hope you enjoyed!

#ENTJourney