Fujimoto and Granmammare's Story

Ponyo characters © 2008 Miyazaki

I do not own the Ponyo characters, this is a fanfic and for non profit fan enjoyment, and because the writing muse in my head wouldn't shut up. :'D I hope you enjoy this interpretation my friend and I thought up of how things went before Ponyo.

Chapter 1

Many years before a white bellied, red-scaled fish named Ponyo fell in love with a human boy, there was another ocean dweller whose eye was caught by a human. No one less than the Great Mother Ocean, or Granmammare, herself…and a strange boy who wanted nothing more than to be at the ocean's side…

...

"Mother, our class is going on a field trip," An orange-red haired boy nervously handed his mother a piece of paper with a blank asking for a signature.

"To where…" His mother looked at the scrap, "Aquarium?" She frowned, looking down at him, "Why would they take you to such a place, the ocean is filled with nothing but trouble, there's no need for your school to get young minds interested in such a dangerous place."

Fujimoto looked down; he very much wanted to go on the trip. He liked water creatures and the ocean, but even though their home was only a 20 minute train ride from the Japanese coastline, he had never seen the ocean with his own eyes, nor had he ever been swimming. His mother, since he was little, drilled into his head that all the ocean does is take, kill, and cause trouble – in her words 'Suijin-sama has never done us any favors'. She had never liked the sea, but became hateful of it when Fujimoto's father died at it's hands.

She always thought her husband would be killed in the war, the same war that ended when their old city was bombed by the most devastating attack known to man. An attack that by the graces of Kami they were not in because they had moved closer to the coast to be near her husband's military base. But the naval officer that was Fujimoto's father, and all the men in his troop, died simply in a tsunami that broke their ship in two. A dishonorable,random death for once great men of war.

"I'm not signing this," She handed back the paper.

Fujimoto was angry. Just because his mother was scared of the sea, why must he be barred from it? HE wasn't afraid or hateful of it. Even if it took his father, if kami thought it was his time it was his time, he understood that. He was more afraid of his fellow 2nd graders than an expanse of water -they were something to be feared, he thought, with the teasing he endured.

So he forged her signature.

His teacher could tell right away, and scolded him for it.

Fujimoto cried and whimpered, telling about his mother and how his father died and how much he just wanted to see the ocean. His teacher's face softened. She knew how this child was not good with the other children, and for him to be so fervent about something was unusual. She also had not known about his circumstances.

She made him promise never to tell his mother she let him go on the trip.

Never had he been so happy. The other children had to drag him way from every tank, each one more wondrous than the last. He had seen pictures in books but never in movement (for his mother had sold their TV for money after their father died, and TV was a very new thing and not even in color.) The colors, the shapes, the variety! So many otherworldly creatures! The beauty of the water, the sea plants – it was inspiring. He listened intently to every word their young tour guide said about the animals and plants, while other kids wandered off and talked to each other.

After that day, the most marvelous of his whole young life, he knew what the wanted to do when he grew up.