This is my brand new H2O/Mako Mermaids crossover fic. After I watched the second season of Mako Mermaids I realized Erik would make a great couple with Rikki and might be of great help in the H2O world. So here is the first chapter of my Erik/Rikki fic. :-) I also got inspiration to continue with my other H2O/Mako Mermaids crossover - "The Dark Side Of The Moon", so expect a new chapter of it soon! :-)

01.

Erik turned around and did the only thing he could - he ran towards the water, seeking distraction in the ocean's depths.

His mind repeated Ondina's last words to him.

"Goodbye, Erik."

"Goodbye, Erik. Goodbye, Erik."

Over and over again.

And it wasn't like he was heartbroken over her walking away from him. Or maybe he was - he was too confused to know what exactly he was feeling. Sure, it hurt him watch Ondina leave, but he'd get over it, he knew he would.

Erik knew that she was angry at him, but whatever he did back in the merman chamber - he did it for her. He wished she could understand that. The place - dangerous or not - belonged to him as much as it belonged to Zac. And the only thing he wanted to do was to find out how it worked and to help Ondina.

Only that.

If she and her friends didn't understand that he wasn't going to try and convince them.

He would carry on. Travel again.

Go to the yet next town, or village, or city.

He was going to find new job. Meet new people maybe. Carry on with his life.

But he would never forget Ondina. She was more special to him than anyone had ever been. He really cared about her.

Too much.

He prayed she knew that.

Erik closed his eyes and sped through the waves. He was so fast that he felt as if he was flying. He swam for hours before he picked up his small treasure and finally decided to get back to the mainland.

When he dried himself off and stood up, he saw the mermaids that had made circles around Mako. He smiled sadly knowing Ondina probably was somewhere out there between them right now.

"Goodbye, Ondina."

With those last words he left the beach never turning back.

He got to the boatshed he'd been living at in the last few months as quickly as he could. In a matter of fifteen minutes his whole luggage was packed up and he was ready to leave.

He looked around for one last time, before lifting his backpack on his back and then he left.

He went straight to the bus station and bought a ticket for the first possible bus that it turned out was heading to Sydney.

It didn't take Erik long to adjust to Sydney's dynamics and he quickly got familiar with the city.

The first few days he spent exploring Sydney. Once he knew all about it, he found himself yet another job as a waiter, but this time at a restaurant, not a cafe. He'd go swimming in the mornings and then work all afternoon.

Erik had spent three months now living in the city and he really enjoyed it.

One beautiful Sunday afternoon he went for a long walk on the beach and after three hours he ended up stopping at a small coffee shop to get himself something to drink.

He walked in casually looking around, when suddenly something caught his attention and he froze.

At the register there was a girl with white-blond curly hair. She had her back turned to him and was scanning the menu in her hands. Erik couldn't help himself and rushed at her direction.

"Ondina?!"

The girl turned to look at him. It wasn't Ondina but Erik was shocked to realize how much this girl reminded him of her. The stranger had eyes as blue and beautiful as only the ocean could be and white-blond curls were falling heavily on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry." Erik said quickly. "I thought you were someone else."

"Whatever."

Something in her short reply and sharp tone reminded him of Ondina even more. However he quickly shook that thought off and turned to the waiter to give him his order.

"A glass of orange juice, please."

"A mango smoothie, please."

He and the strange girl said simultaneously. Erik smiled.

"You first."

The girl rolled her eyes annoyed but repeated her order to the waiter who then turned to Erik to take his, before walking away to prepare both orders. When a couple of minutes later he handed them their drinks Erik realized he'd need a straw.

"I need a straw-"

"I need a straw-"

Him and the girl spoke at the same time yet again. She glared at him for a moment, but didn't say anything. The waiter handed them their straws and the girl quickly walked away to a table with two girls on it, in a deep conversation. One - blond and the other - brunette. The stranger sat down and immediately stepped in their conversation. Erik couldn't help but follow after her.

"Excuse me, I didn't catch your name?" He asked and gave her a small smile.

"That's because I didn't say it." She answered shortly.

When Erik didn't walk away as she had expected, she sighed.

"It's Rikki."

"That's a beautiful name." He said. "And I'm Erik."

"Well if there isn't anything else -" The girl, Rikki began.

"Yeah, I'll leave you to it."

And Erik walked away sitting at one of the other tables. He took a sip of his drink and his eyes drifted back to Rikki again.

She seemed really interested in her chat with the other two girls. Erik let his eyes explore them.

One of them was with long, brown hair, hazel eyes and oval face. She somehow reminded Erik a bit of Mimmi. The other girl was with dirty blond hair that was up in a ponytail. Her eyes were blue and she seemed to have been trying to make the other two girls not argue over the thing they were talking about. That reminded Erik of Sirena who was always the peace-maker when Mimmi and Ondina were fighting over something.

He smiled realizing he kind of missed the Gold Coast and his merfriends.

If they were ever his friends, that is.

Erik bottomed up his drink and left the empty glass on the table. Before he stood up to leave however, he wrote something on a piece of paper.

On his way out of the cafeteria, he walked past Rikki and put it on her table. She glared at him, then opened it to read what it said. He had given her his phone number and under it was a note "This is my number, so..call me maybe?".

Rikki rolled her eyes annoyed and curled the note between her fingers. That guy had started to really get on her nerves.

Big time.