Chapter 2: Is He Really a Salmonid Kid?!

At first, she'd thought about turning tail and running. Run back to her brother's apartment, babbling about how she'd seen something completely out of this world, something that seemed straight out of a horror movie. But she didn't. She didn't want to go back and face her brother, face his eyes that would no doubt roll at her story, his crossed arms, his disapproving and disappointed frown.

No, she wasn't ready to go back home yet. But she certainly didn't want to stay here either with this...what was he? She wasn't even sure. He continued to stare at her from the water, sinking in so that only his eyes and above were visible. His eyes were odd, gold and smaller than usually. Most inklings and octolings had larger eyes and pupils, but his were small, darting back and forth as he looked around, always returning back to her. He didn't have tentacles like she did. No, his hair, that odd, red mohawk, looked like some sort of thick, rubbery fin. His eyes were different too, way different from any squid or even octoling that she'd seen on rare occasion. She hadn't met too many octolings, they were new to Inkopolis, but they didn't look like this. Or act like this. Most octolings were shy, curious, staring around at the tall buildings and world around them with childish wonder.

This thing was just staring at her. Or, more accurately, her headphones. He kept looking at them, gaze locked onto their golden glow, and again took a few steps closer. She saw gills lining the sides of his neck, and a flimsy shirt and shorts that may have just been made up of strung-together seaweed.

Yaki pulled her headphones back away from him and frowned. "No, these are mine!"

He growled again, sinking back into the water, but still lingering. She again thought that she should just leave, but something was keeping each of them there, glaring at each other, too hesitant to make any quick movements.

"Do...do you have a name?" Yaki asked.

No response. He just blinked. Of course.

"Naaaaame," Yaki said, pointing to herself and huffing. "Me, Yaki. You...?"

His eyes narrowed at her. She wasn't sure if he could understand her, but he didn't look happy either way.

A salmonid kid...there was no way that was real. Salmonids were odd creatures that mostly appeared when working with Mr. Grizz. They came in a variety of shapes and sizes, none of them human. They were usually small, barely coming up to her knee, scurrying and flapping around, leaving inky green trails behind them. The bigger ones...they were the scary ones. They hurled lobs of ink and murky green water, pointed teeth and glowing eyes or bulging heads. The first time she'd worked a job for Mr. Grizz, they'd terrified her. Even the tiny ones, who could move fast and nearly undetected, were scary, chasing her down as she tried to run the golden eggs to Mr. Grizz...

That's when something clicked. Yaki looked down to her headphones. Her glowing, GOLDEN headphones.

"You think this is..." A shadow passed over her and she looked up and yelped as the boy had come closer, staring down at her form on the ground. He reached out for her headphones again, and she hugged them close. "No! This isn't an egg, these are mine!" she shouted loudly.

He took a step back, stumbling and nearly falling down. That seemed to make him mad though, as he walked back up, baring his pointed teeth at her.

This was getting a bit too scary for her. She needed to leave. She waited until he tried to come close again, then tossed a fistful of sand at his face. He yelped, waving wildly at his face, and Yaki took this opportunity to run. She was quite away from the center of town, but she was willing to run as far as it took in order to get to safety. She turned to look over her shoulder and...he wasn't chasing after her. He stared at her a bit, cocking his head and frowning, but then he turned and disappeared back into the water, letting her go.

Yaki paused, watched him disappear, then headed back into town.

"I'm telling you Kodi-Anne, it was the weirdest thing," Yaki said, leaning over the table.

Kodi-Anne raised an eyebrow, taking a big long slurp from her slushie before leaning back in her chair. Her violet eyes stared Yaki up and down quizzically. "So...you went down to the beach...threw your precious headphones in the water, nearly drowned, and a salmonid kid saved you? And tried to take your headphones?"

"Yes!" Yaki said. "He wasn't an inkling like me, and he wasn't an octoling like you! I've never seen anything like him before!"

Kodi-Anne shrugged, spinning her straw around with the tip of her finger. "I don't know Yaki, that doesn't mean he's a salmonid kid. I've seen lots of crazy stuff down in the subways. Maybe he's just something you've never seen before. That doesn't make him a salmonid."

Yaki frowned. It was true that she hadn't seen too many other species before. Kodi-Anne had seen all kinds. She took trips down to the subway all the time, though Yaki never went with her. Kodi-Anne offered, but had a feeling she wouldn't come. Something about where the octolings came from. Specifically, where Kodi-Anne herself had come from once upon a time.

But that was quite a while ago. Kodi-Anne had stumbled out of the subway, blinking into the lights in amazement. She'd walked in on one of Yaki's smaller concerts, a bit entranced by the music that was so foreign where she used to reside, and stayed after the show. Yaki thought she'd made her first big fan. Really, it was her first big friend. The music had nothing to do with it.

Still, Yaki was glad she had someone to talk to, even if Kodi-Anne didn't totally believe her. It was better than returning home to her brother. Kodi-Anne was always hanging around the square or getting in some Turf War. She was downright scary with her Paintbrush. Yaki's had the displeasure of going up against her once. Kodi-Anne had taken the goggles that otherwise held up her short bob of blue tentacles and moved them down over her eyes in battle. She moved fast, the kind of fast that somehow has to be through years of training, years of knowing that if you weren't fast, you'd lose. She'd dart between ink, slip between puddles and ride rails behind enemy lines, obliterating them before they even got the chance to figure out what was going on. All with those goggles, protecting her eyes from ink. That didn't mean that Yaki couldn't see how wide they were, couldn't see how they narrowed in glee every time Kodi-Anne splatted an enemy.

Then, the battle was over, and Kodi-Anne went back to her usual, monotone self, offering only occasional smiles or frowns depending on the conversation. Now, it was a sympathetic smile aimed directly at Yaki.

"Your brother said no to playing with you, didn't he? That's why you went out to the water?"

Yaki sighed, resting her head on her hand. "Yeah...told me that I should just give up on singing...maybe he's right...maybe I'm just not good enough."

Kodi-Anne frowned. "If you're really going to give up on your dream just like that, then maybe you don't deserve it."

"H-Huh?" Yaki said, lifting her head.

Kodi-Anne took another long drink before looking up. "If a few words and bumps in the road deter you, then you'll never make it big Yaki. You know you're good. I know you're good too. You CAN do this, regardless of what your brother thinks. He's just worried about you, but he doesn't get it. He had a dream, but he had that dream because he already had the talent to pursue it. You're different."

"Because I don't have talent?" Yaki said glumly.

Kodi-Anne glared at her. "No. You have talent. But you also have will. Drive. It takes more than talent to make it big as a singer, right? That's what you told me once. So put in more than talent, but don't lose faith in your abilities."

Yaki smiled. "I should have come to talk to you first, before my brother. He wasn't much help."

Kodi-Anne grinned. "Well he is pretty lame. Clam Blitz? Yuck."

Yaki chuckled, drifting down into her thoughts and memories of what happened the night before while Kodi-Anne flicked through her phone. Getting a pep talk from her was nice, it was exactly what she needed actually, but that didn't mean her thoughts were organized. She was still thinking about yesterday, and her odd encounter. The apartment was empty when she returned home. Empty, or Taki had fled to his room and shut the door. She didn't try to track him down. She'd gone to her room, taken a shower and carefully cleaned the gunk from her headphones. Did he think they were a Golden Egg? That was kinda cute, like he was drawn to shiny things, but those pointy teeth and sharp eyes made her shudder. How creepy. Maybe Kodi-Anne was right though, maybe he was just another odd denizen that she hadn't ever seen. But then, why didn't he answer her when she asked for his name? Why did he go back to the water? As far as Yaki knew, none of them ever sought out that gross ocean. There was nothing there to enjoy.

Her curiosity was eating away at her. She wanted to go back to the beach, wanted to see if she could find him there again. She still wasn't about to give up her headphones, but maybe their glow could lure him out again.

It was stupid, but Yaki was curious. Her only other options right now were to think of her current predicament; being stuck without accompaniment. Taki had refused to help her, she didn't know anyone else who could help her in such short notice, especially with such a small gig, and even Kodi-Anne couldn't offer any advice when it came to finding someone to help her. Kodi-Anne was not musically inclined, Yaki couldn't even teach her how to play the piano (she tried, several times). That wasn't really her thing anyway. She enjoyed music, but without needing to be apart of it.

Yaki made up her mind. She'd try around town just a bit more, try to find someone else to help her for the show, and then she'd go to the beach and try to find that odd boy again. She glanced over at Kodi-Anne, who had finished her slushie and was moving on to unwrapping a lollipop.

Maybe she'd keep this a secret from her friend for now, though. She didn't want her to worry, or worse, show up and scare the strange boy away.

The next night, Yaki had set up the best buffet of food she could possibly gather to tempt the mysterious boy back out of the water. She'd laid out leftover pizza from the fridge (surely Taki wouldn't notice it was gone), tempura from the snack shack, a few lollipops she'd convinced Kodi to give her, a cheeseburger, and a half-eaten pack of jerky.

It...wasn't much. But Yaki hadn't exactly planned this encounter out further than her own excitement and curiosity. Then again, the boy hadn't looked skinny or malnourished, so she doubted he was starving for food. But what food could be better than pizza and candy?

And, of course, she brought her headphones, looping them around her neck for safekeeping. It was better than clutching them the whole time, and this way, he wouldn't be able to take them without a fight, and she was more than willing to run again if she needed to. Or fight. Not that she was very good at that, but she'd still do what she had to. The more she thought about it, the more nervous she started to get, casting anxious glances out over the still water.

Nothing. Barely any waves or ripples today.

Yaki sighed and flopped back on the sand, staring up at the sky as the sun began to set. She was getting bored. Attaching her headphones to her phone, she turned on some music. Music was always a good way to pass the time, but it was also just a good way to make herself feel better. It was inspirational. It reminded her of what she wanted, more than anything else. She'd find some accompaniment, she knew she would. She flipped through her shellphone a bit, nibbled on a few slices of cold pizza, and eventually dozed off, dreaming of cheering crowds and singing on stage.

Noise woke her up, an odd splashing noise, and she slowly opened her eyes.

He was back, carefully stepping onto the land. He glanced from her to the food, and she closed her eyes again carefully, only peeking when she was sure he'd be looking away. He approached the food, particularly the pizza, and sniffed it, his nose wrinkling a little. He took a slice, gave it a small bite, and his eyes widened. He immediately took the remaining slices and began shoving them into his mouth in a rush.

"Hey, don't just eat it all at once!" Yaki said, sitting up.

The boy froze, slice sticking halfway out of his mouth and cheeks puffed out, full of food.

Yaki paused as well, not wanting to frighten him away. He looked at her cautiously, already turning back toward the water, ready to run. Yaki very carefully crawled backwards just a little bit to give him more space. He kept looking at her, waiting for a reaction, for a trap, for movement, something, but she just sat there, staring back at him. Finally, he returned to eating the food, a wide grin coming across his face as he moved about the selection.

"You're strange," Yaki said, and while her voice made him tense a little, he barely looked up from the food. "I'm guessing you can't really understand what I'm saying. But I guess that's alright."

Once he finished the food, he sat back on the ground, staring at her again. It didn't take long before his gaze locked onto the glowing headphones.

"These are mine," Yaki said. "They're very special to me. And they're not a Golden Egg. See?" she took them off, stretching them a bit to show how differently shaped they were. He tilted his head. Music was still playing softly from them, and the boy leaned forward a bit. She turned the music up so it could be heard more, and his eyes widened. She liked this part of the song too. She put them back on around her neck. "Let's try this again. I'm Yaki. Yaaaa-ki." She pointed to herself.

He opened his mouth, but only a growl came out. It wasn't aggressive necessarily, though it did make Yaki flinch. He stopped.

The music filled the silence. She liked this part, it was a Dedf!sh song with heavy bass. She bobbed her head involuntarily to the beat. The boy's eyes followed, hearing the music himself. She laughed and turned it up a bit more.

He smiled. Or, at least, she thought he did. It was hard to tell when it looked so menacing, what, with sharpened teeth and all. He could take a bite out of her at any second, but it was a genuine smile, with his eyes closing and head leaning back a bit. She hummed along, and the bass hit a particularly loud and low rhythm.

The boy bobbed his head more, and opened his mouth, mimicking the bass beats.

He was mimicking the sounds almost perfectly, the low, deep bass and rhythm he'd matched with forming words. Yaki's eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't dare say a word to interrupt him.

Was he...beatboxing?

The song ended, and the boy looked at her expectantly. Yaki, however, had turned off her music, and was staring at him with her mouth partially open in awe.

No way. There was no way. He couldn't speak, but he could...?

It was too perfect. Was it a sign?! Was someone really looking out for her after all?!

Yaki shot up to her feet, scaring the boy and sending him back to the ground a bit. "You have to come with me!" she said.

He looked confused, looking from her to the water as if debating whether or not he should run. She lowered herself a bit more to appear less threatening. How was she going to communicate with him what she wanted? How could she get him to go with her, when he couldn't even understand what her name was?

He looked at the empty food wrappers, and then to her.

"I don't have any more," she said with a shrug. "Sorry."

He frowned, and moved to head back to the water.

"Wait!" He paused, looking over at her hesitantly. She lingered on his form again, trying to take in just how odd he looked. She wasn't going to let this chance slip away from her. "I know...where we can get more. If you're still hungry, that is."

Taki leaned back in his recliner, having already kicked off his shoes and stretched out after Clam Blitz practice. He'd left a few hours earlier than he normally did, normally he'd stay well into the night. It hadn't felt the same today. It hadn't felt right, doing what he loved after his conversation with Yaki.

How was it fair for him to say such things to her? This was clearly what she was passionate about. Instead of telling her she shouldn't chase after her dream, he should have supported her. Maybe tried to find someone else to play an instrument for her, and get into another vocal camp or something, help her track down more opportunities. It was just...hard. She'd been doing this for so long. If he'd been doing Clam Blitz that long with little to no improvement, he's not sure he would have had the will to keep going. He would have given up, thought it too hard, and tried something else.

But...maybe that was just the difference between him and his sister.

It wasn't always easy taking care of her. Sometimes, it was down right impossible. He didn't know how to talk to her, or interact with her sometimes. They were just two very different people, their familial bond being their only real connection. But whose fault was that? Maybe he should make a better effort to work with her. Sure, she could be stubborn, and quirky, and loud, but she was his sister. And he was the older brother. He needed to do a better job of looking out for her, because who knows what kind of trouble she could get herself into otherwise.

The door to the apartment opened, and Taki nodded to himself. Good. She was home. He'd tell her that he was sorry, apologize and try to work things out. Taki rose from the couch, taking his drink with him. "Hey Yaki, I..."

He trailed off. Yaki froze when she saw him, not really expecting him to be home this early, clearly. She had opened the fridge, and was carrying huge amounts of food in her arms.

Beside her was a boy with green skin and reddish, orange hair. The boy was tense, eyes darting wildly from one corner to another, pointed teeth barred and ready to bite.

"Ehehe...hi Taki," Yaki said sheepishly, giving a small wave.

Taki stared, dumbfounded, and the can of soda slipped from his hand and splattered on the floor.

Hey squidkids and octolings! Since this is more slice of life, the chapters will probably be smaller than my normal Fanfiction stories, expect about this length each chapter, around 3,000-3,500 words. However, that should mean that they update more frequently! I'd like to get on a weekly schedule for this story, but we'll see, I always try to prioritize quality over quantity. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Also be sure to check out my Twitter for (occasional) Splatoon art posts, including these characters! Find it at AuzeriGirl on Twitter!

Thanks for reading, and stay fresh!