Kenmei spent four days in isolation, avoiding her father the best she could and keeping her door locked. It was a boring and lonely time, and she wondered how she had ever done it before she met Judar. When she wasn't laying on her bed daydreaming, she spent her time writing in her notebook or playing on her computer. Chores also kept her busy, but she only did them when her father was gone, still terrified by his most recent outburst. Her arms had bruised from his grip, and she was beginning to grow worried about his temperament. He had never struck her, but his verbal and mental abuse was starting to be too much for her.
During her daydreams, she had wished that there was some way she could be with Judar permanently. She imagined herself turning into one of his kind, or vice versa, and she wondered if it was possible. There was a feeling in her gut, however, that told her he would not want to leave the water. He was obviously happy with what he was, and he disliked humans. Though Kenmei knew it was because of something that happened to his birth family, he would never give her the details, and she didn't ask.
With a yawn, she stretched and sat up in her bed, looking over at her windows. The sun was beginning to rise, and Judar had said she could return on the morning of the fifth day. Having not slept very well that night, she felt a bit groggy, but her excitement to see him again pulled her to her feet. Bathing, dressing and eating in a fuzzy haze of half consciousness, it was nearly noon by the time she stepped outside to get her bike.
Before Kenmei could shut the door, she halted at the sound of someone clearing their throat behind her. She looked behind her into the house, seeing Keneiji staring at her from the foot of the steps. Panic bubbling in her stomach as he came towards her, she gripped the door handle tightly, ready to slam it in his face if she deemed necessary.
"And where are you off to?" His voice was dull and condescending, and it only frustrated Kenmei. She wasn't sure why he had suddenly become so interested in what she did on her own time, but she knew there must have been some motive behind his interest. "What does it matter to you? I can do what I want to, you don't control me." As she went to leave, he grabbed her by the arm, right over her bruise. Wincing, she tried to pry his hand loose, but he didn't budge.
"It matters to me because I want to know what you're doing, simple as that. Now tell me!" His grip tightened and Kenmei cried out from the pain, her knees buckling. She wished that one of their neighbors would see them and interfere, but she had little hope for reprieve. "L-let go of me! That hurts!" As if another being took over her body, she dropped her bag and brought her hand up, slapping him as hard as she could across the face. Although her slap didn't have much strength, the shock of the action was enough to make him let go.
Taking the chance, she snatched her bag off the ground and was quick to get to her bicycle, not risking looking back as she took off down the road. Kenmei didn't stop until she was on the outskirts of town, having to pause to catch her breath. Her panic and struggle to get away from him was causing her to nearly hyperventilate, and her head was dizzy with adrenaline. Looking behind her, she was able to calm herself with the realization that he was not following her. She was surprised that he had not gotten into the car to follow her, and she felt safe with relief.
With the rush wearing off, her head began to pound and her arm ached badly. She could even feel a stinging sensation in her hand, and she flexed her fingers open and closed to try and relieve it. It was so strange to her that she would react so violently, and she wasn't sure where that reaction had come from. Usually, she was a pacifist, and would prefer to take the abuse and not fight back. But at that moment, when he tried to prevent her from leaving, she couldn't stand it.
Composing herself, she began towards her destination, knowing she had a long ride ahead of her. Thankfully, she had gone to the market the previous day, so she had her water and food already packed. She had wanted no delays in getting to the cliffs, and what had just happened had been a major one. It took what little energy she had, and by the time she reached her destination, she felt as if she were ready to collapse.
With weak legs, she made her way down the side of the cliff to the little beach. Kenmei didn't notice that it was devoid of life until she stepped foot onto it, and she guessed that Judar had not yet arrived. Placing her stuff down, she removed her shoes, socks and her shirt, leaving her in just shorts and a swimsuit top. She thought it more appropriate if she was going to be swimming with him, though she knew he wouldn't understand the difference between it and a bra. It was blue with the pattern of scales, and she knew that he would find humor in it.
Feeling the need to cool off, she made her way over to the shore, walking out until she was at the drop off. Sitting down and allowing her legs to dangle over the edge, she sighed, taking a moment to put her hair up. "I guess I'll wait here for you," she spoke out loud quietly to the still water. "Even though I'm the one who's late." She scooted herself closer to the edge, to where she was barely sitting on the rock, hoping the cool water would soothe her aching thighs.
Kenmei brought her arm up in front of her to look at the bruise. By now, it had darkened back over the previously yellowish color of it healing, and she could still feel it pulsing with pain. She ran her fingers over it softly, beginning to feel emotion swell inside of her. How am I supposed to go back home after that? What am I supposed to do? Hanging her head, she began to sob softly in her frustration, watching her tears land in the water and ripple away.
Not wanting to cry over this, she clenched her eyes shut tightly for only a moment. But, as she opened them again, familiar crimson eyes were staring up at her. She gave a small jump, bringing her hand to her chest in her shock. "Judar! You scared me." Quickly wiping her face, she began to feel embarrassed that he had seen her like that. "How much of that did you see?" Narrowing his eyes at her, Judar moved to be between her thighs, and she opened them more to allow him.
"I've been watching you since you sat down." He spoke with an irritated yet concerned tone, eyeing the bruise on her arm intently. Noticing, Kenmei quickly brought her hand up to cover it, looking away from him in shame. Still, she couldn't cover the healing one on her other arm, and his gaze merely moved to that one. His expression softened as he looked up at her face, but Kenmei could still not look directly at him.
"Did you fight back this time?"
Kenmei could only nod, unable to find it within herself to speak. She had been very open with Judar about her troubles with her father, and he had been very verbal with his thoughts. Though they were too vulgar for Kenmei to dare repeat, he had constantly told her to stand up for herself. Now that she had done it, she found herself in a difficult situation, too scared to go back. Judar reached up and gripped her face gently, pulling her from her thoughts to look him in the eye.
"Good. That makes you stronger." He flashed her a toothy grin, and Kenmei could tell he was trying to cheer her up. "What'd you do? C'mon, tell me!" He let his hand fall to rest on her side, his arm resting on her thigh. Kenmei wiped her eyes again, unable to help her own small smile. "I slapped him."
Laughing, Judar laid his head on her thigh, peering up at her through his bangs. "You've never slapped me, but I bet you slap hard!" Kenmei raised her hand in a threatening manner, narrowing her eyes at him playfully. "Want to find out?" Judar's grin turned into a sly smirk and he lifted his head from her leg, his gaze filled with malicious intent. "Do it, see what happens." Though she was nervous as to what he would do, she played along, bringing her hand down to tap him gently on the cheek.
In a dramatic flare, he fell backwards into the water. Though, his tail quickly rose to the surface, sending a huge wave of water at her. Gasping as she was completely soaked, she sat in shock until he resurfaced, his laughter immediate. "Oh sorry, did you not want to get wet yet?" Still snickering as Kenmei glowered at him, he returned to her legs. Now between them once again, he reached up to put his arms around her waist, and Kenmei felt her face flush as he snuggled his head into her stomach.
"Damn, you're so warm." His voice was muffled as his face was pressed into her body, tightening his grip on her. A soft smile forced its way onto her face, Kenmei reached down and began to stroke his hair gently. "I think that's the only reason you like me, because you say that all the time." She began to laugh as Judar blew air against her skin, creating a ridiculous farting sound and tickling her violently. Unable to get away due to his grip around her hips, she tried to push his head back with gentle force.
Successful, Judar glared up at her with almost a pouty expression, obviously displeased with her accusation. "That's not true. I only like you because you bring me peaches." The smug smirk that crossed his face proved that he was pleased with his comeback. Snickering at the shock on Kenmei's face, he shoved his own into her stomach again, soaking in her warmth. Crossing her arms with a sigh, she wrapped her legs around his torso, squeezing him slightly as punishment. "You're so mean."
Shaking his head, Judar looked up at her. He was about to speak when his eyes landed on her chest, his cocky expression fading into one of confusion. "Huh? What type of boob holder is that? It's got a scale pattern on it!" His laughter made Kenmei blush heavily, as she uncrossed her arms, looking down at the swimsuit top as well. "I thought you would like it. And it's called a bikini, not a boob holder." Judar leaned back from her a bit so he could see it better, highly amused.
"It's just another thing you humans wear because you're scared to be naked. But I like it, it's cool." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you trying to tell me something?"
Kenmei shook her head, her face flushing darker as she grew confused. "What do you mean?" Judar looked down at her shorts, bringing one of his arms around to the front. Sticking a finger under the rim, he pulled them back from her body, peering inside to see that she was wearing bottoms that matched the top. "Woah, they match!" Kenmei slapped his hand away gently in embarrassment. "Judar! Don't just pull my shorts down like that!"
Judar chuckled, swimming back from her a bit as he brought his arms back down into the water. "What? I didn't pull them off." Kenmei was about to snap at him when his hand re-emerged out of the water, holding a small brown package. Looking at it curiously, she leaned in a bit closer, worried that it was a prank of some sort. "What is that?" His own face flushed, Judar held it out closer to her. "Take it!"
It was small enough to fit in her palm, but it had a considerable weight to it. More like a small bag rather than a package, tied together at the top with a string, and it was made out of a material Kenmei couldn't recognize. Bouncing it in her hand a bit, she thought it made the sound of rocks or marbles clanking together, as well as the sound of scraping glass. Growing a bit impatient, Judar sunk down into the water up to his nose, though his gaze gave away his embarrassment. Whatever this was, he was nervous to give it to her, and Kenmei suspected that it was important.
Holding the bag closer to her and over her lap, she pulled the string, careful not to let the contents spill out. She plucked out a small, perfectly round pearl, bringing it up closer to her face to observe it better. Judar moved in a bit closer, bringing his head completely out of the water. "Where I come from, we use those as a currency. The ones I gave you are very valuable." Kenmei's stomach fluttering, she placed the pearl back into the bag, digging around with her finger to observe the other ones. Not all were the typical off-white color, some were a pale lavender or blue, but there was another item that pulled her attention from them.
Carefully, she pulled a small glass vial from the bag, it's contents contained with a cork plug. She swirled the dark red liquid around a bit, noticing that it was a thick consistency. Immediately, she gasped, nearly dropping it in her shock.
"Is this blood!?"
Judar quickly rose his hands up in defense, shaking his head. "No! No… Well, not all of it. But let me explain!" He quickly added the last bit as Kenmei's face drained of color, worried she might faint. Reaching up, he took the vial from her, holding it with care. "This is why I was gone for a few days. I had to make this." He pressed a finger into the cork, as if checking that it was on firmly. "It's not easy to do. At least, not to do it perfectly. But I made sure it was perfect so nothing bad will happen." As he handed it back to her, Kenmei took it, but stared down at it in confusion. "What… I don't understand, what is this for?"
Tilting his head to the side a bit, a nervous smile crossed his lips, chuckling softly. "That's kind of obvious, isn't it?" The color returned to Kenmei's face in a violent blush, her hands beginning to shake. Scared she would drop it, she placed it back into the bag, tying it back closed. "J-Judar, that's not possible." Judar frowned, her reaction not what he had been hoping for. "Uhm… But it is. That's why I made it for you. So you can be like me." He backed up from her a bit, and Kenmei could tell he was frustrated with her response.
Unsure of what to say or do, Kenmei placed the small bag on her lap, reaching her hand out towards him. "Wait, don't be upset. I just… Judar, I never imagined it would be possible. That's what I meant." Seeming slightly satisfied with her explanation, he moved back closer, and Kenmei ran her fingers through his hair gently. "Can you please explain it more to me?" She spoke softly, not wanting to upset him further.
Judar placed his hands on her legs, slowly beginning to run them up her skin. "There's more than one reason humans vanish because of us. Most of the time, it is because we attack them. But sometimes…" His eyes fell to the small brown bag, as if studying it closely. "Sometimes, we grow close to a human. And we make that for them, with a piece of ourselves. It's complicated to explain. But it's not magic." He seemed amused by the thought, looking back up at her. "We don't exactly know what about that mixture changes humans, but it works, as long as it's done correctly."
Swallowing her nerves, Kenmei looked down at the bag, shifting it in her hands gently. "If it's not magic… Then it has to be some sort of chemical or biological change. It must be painful." Judar sighed, giving a small nod. "I know it's unpleasant, but you actually sleep most of the time. It takes a few days… We'd have to find somewhere safe for you until it's done." He noticed her hands were trembling and he brought his up, gripping onto hers firmly to try and ease her nerves.
"Mei, this isn't something my kind takes lightly. Sometimes, we imprint on humans. And as embarrassing as it is for me to admit to myself, that's what happened. But if you don't want to do it, then I get it." He laid his chin on her knee, and Kenmei could see on his expression that he was very reluctant to admit any of this. It was hard for him, and she could only imagine his level of frustration. She pulled one of her hands away from his gingerly, reaching over to run her fingers through his hair.
"You know what's funny? I had actually daydreamed about something like this the past few days, wondering if it was possible. There's nothing for me here, but… I need a few days to think about it. Is that okay?" She let her hand fall to rest on his cheek, and he turned his face into it, his lips pressing against her palm. He stared at the cliff wall, his gaze focused and concentrating on his thoughts. His brow was furrowed in contemplation, and Kenmei wondered what he was thinking.
After a few silent moments, he looked back up at her, a weary smile on his face. "Fine. But I'd need you to decide soon. I'm at the shore too often now. I could be noticed." Kenmei nodded, leaning back to place the small bag on the shore. Carefully, she slipped herself into the water, trusting him to hold onto her. Keeping her close, he moved away from the rocks, his mood beginning to lighten at her joining him in the water. "I like this better than sitting on the rocks."
With a smile, Kenmei leaned up to kiss him softly, her mind and heart racing at the thought that he wanted her to be with him. She felt both blessed and terrified, but her love for him swelled as he deepened the kiss, pulling her closer.
So lost in the passion, neither of them noticed the peering eyes over the edge of the cliff, or the bright light of a camera flash.
