Summary: Frankenstein almost drowned. He didn't, something in the sea saving him, and he's going to find out just what it was.

Breath of Life

By Dark Ice Dragon

Part 7

Frankenstein hummed, moonlight piercing through the canopy above, helping to light the way as he made his way to the cave. He didn't need either moonlight or his lamp as much anymore though, starting to memorise the route. He could even see that he was starting to make a trail - nothing too obvious, but a few branches here and there where he hadn't noticed them beforehand, a footprint where he'd stepped onto soft mud after going over a tall root.

It meant he was spending less time trying to find his way there, and that meant he could spend a little more time with Muzaka.

His smile widened as he continued forward.

[-]

"How do you breathe when you sleep?" Frankenstein asked as soon as he saw Muzaka's head appear above water. It was something Frankenstein had been wondering, but hadn't been able to ask yet, other questions coming first. After that happened, they followed the topic's natural course, and then Muzaka had to leave. So he would ask first, before they were sidelined again with something else.

"Sleep?"

They must have a different word for it. "When you rest at night."

"Rest at-?" Muzaka's brow furrowed as he came out of the water.

"You...do rest, don't you?" Everything rested in the world, as far as Frankenstein was aware. But then, that was only the animals that he currently knew about. There was so much Frankenstein still had to learn about, like ningyo.

Muzaka nodded, adjusting his bag so it wouldn't drag on the rock. "When I'm not swimmin' around, yeah."

Hrm. Clearly they weren't talking about the same thing here. How to describe sleep... "It's when you're not as active, and you're regaining your energy." Though that still sounded more like rest than sleep.

"Oh!" Muzaka perked up, grinning as he came over. "When we stop...hm, thinkin' as much?"

"Yes, like that." Not quite full sleep, but a lowered state of thinking while still active. Like meditation? "And that's how you continue breathing, when you're resting?" More ningyo would have been found if they stayed close to the surface while they slept, surely?

Muzaka's brow furrowed. "Yeah, we go up to the surface when we need to breathe."

There was definitely something they were miscommunicating, but what?

Frankenstein exhaled. "If, say, you lost consciousness, what would happen?" Let's see if they could tackle it from a different angle.

He got another blank stare. "Consciousness?"

...And there it was. "When you lose awareness of your surroundings, like I did when we first met."

Muzaka's eyes went wide. "Was - was that why both yer eyes were closed?"

Both eyes? That was important? "Yes," Frankenstein drew out, mulling over this new information. "I have no memory of what happened after you rescued me - I didn't experience it. My first memory after that was when I woke up on the beach."

Muzaka's tail slapped against the wet rock. "But you were still breathin'!"

"Of course?" Frankenstein said, frowning. "We can breathe while we..." Wait. Ningyo didn't sleep, and were always aware of what was happening around them on some level. And an eye was always open, of which there could be a multitude of different reasons for: predation, making sure they stayed close enough to the surface to...

"Do you..." Frankenstein said, his own eyes going wide as the pieces fell into place, "need to think about taking a breath?" Each time. Every time? How many breaths had Frankenstein taken since he'd just arrived at the cave? He didn't know, because he'd never needed to know the exact timing of his breathing.

"You don't?" Muzaka said, with as much incredulity as Frankenstein felt.

To have to think about breathing each time, and yes, Frankenstein knew Muzaka lived in the sea, but he was still working with his own terrestrial framework of how life was.

Did ningyo experience dreams? If they didn't have periods where their minds were fully quiet. If a ningyo lost full consciousness, then they would suffocate, no matter if they were in water or air.

"If you don't think about breathin'," Muzaka said as he came over, "then..." His brow furrowed. "I thought you just couldn't hold your breath as long."

"You're not wrong," Frankenstein said. The reasons were at least two-fold: that they couldn't keep as much air in their lungs, and that they had to fight against their own instincts to breathe.

And...Muzaka was staring as Frankenstein's chest, watching the rise and fall with an interest he hadn't had before.

Frankenstein found himself smiling, going into his bag. "Will we just be spending our time today staring at each other's chests?"

"But you don't - you don't think about it!" There was an almost awe in Muzaka's voice as he came closer, still focused on Frankenstein's chest.

For once, something Frankenstein did that was a surprise. Though, they had mostly stayed in Muzaka's domain, hadn't they?

Was this how Muzaka felt when he questioned him about things? "I brought boiled eggs this time," Franked said, steering the conversation, and Muzaka finally stopped studying his chest.

"Have you had octopus before?" Muzaka asked with a grin.

"Once or twice." Enough to remember he'd had it, but not enough to have an opinion of them.

Muzaka's attention was still drifting towards Frankenstein's chest, his neck. Well, so was Frankenstein's attention, in between preparing the fire. It was understandable with their mutual curiosity of each other's bodies.

[-]

"Do I need ta chew this one too?" Muzaka said as he turned the de-shelled egg in his hands.

"No," Frankenstein said as he dug into his pocket. "It's softer than an apple and-" The egg was gone in one swift gulp.

"This is what eggs are like on land?" Muzaka said. "Gull eggs are watery."

"I'd boiled them in hot water beforehand to save time," Frankenstein said. And to save on bringing a pot along as well.

Frankenstein pulled out the small box he'd kept in his pocket. "Here," he said, holding it out to Muzaka.

Muzaka took it from him with light fingers, looking it over.

"You can open it," Frankenstein said, just in case Muzaka thought it was a solid cube, and not a box.

Muzaka undid the latch, pulling up the lid. "This looks like yours," Muzaka said, taking out the small chain and locket.

"It wraps around your wrist instead," Frankenstein said. He didn't like the image of Muzaka's necklace getting caught on something while he swam and strangling him, so a bracelet it was. "I've put a lock of my hair inside, since I'd done the same with yours."

Muzaka's eyes widened before he opened the locket, seeing Frankenstein's hair kept securely inside. "You kept my hair?"

"I did," Frankenstein said, opening his locket to show Muzaka, Muzaka looking at both the lock, and his eyes sliding to the coral next to it. "I wasn't sure if I'd imagined you before - this was my proof that in the very least, something had happened."

"And now?" Muzaka said as he looped the bracelet around his wrist.

"And now..." Frankenstein closed his locket with a snap. "And now I have memories attached to them; I don't want to just throw them away."

Muzaka peered at the bracelet as it slid over his skin, his brow furrowing as his whiskers moved closer to it.

"Let me help," Frankenstein said, moving closer.

"Sure," Muzaka said, holding his hand out towards him.

Maybe Muzaka's fingers weren't made to grip so well if he was used to the sea. That was more what his claws were for?

Frankenstein found the clasp and attached it to the chain. He rolled the chain down Muzaka's wrist, making sure it couldn't slip off.

Muzaka's skin was as smooth and as warm as he remembered, and Frankenstein ran his fingers down Muzaka's wrist, towards his hands, studying the feel of his skin. Muzaka's palm was smooth like he thought it would be, no calluses anywhere.

Frankenstein looked up when he felt something lean against his back - Muzaka had moved his tail closer, almost curling around him.

"Ah, yes," Frankenstein said, remembering himself and letting go of Muzaka's hand, "that should hold now."

"Thanks," Muzaka said, opening his locket again with a small smile. While he was busy, Frankenstein checked on their food.

Muzaka's tail tightened against Frankenstein slightly, making him look over. Muzaka had something in his hand and he held it out towards Frankenstein.

"Mm?" Frankenstein opened his hand, and Muzaka gave it to him. It was cold, hard and heavier than Frankenstein expected from its size, and when Muzaka pulled his hand away, Frankenstein could see it was metal from the way it reflected the firelight.

But from the colour... "Is this gold?" It certainly had the same sheen as it.

"If that's what you call it," Muzaka said with a shrug, his tail patting the rock softly.

Frankenstein smiled, running his thumb over its shape. It was small enough that he could curl his fist around it and hide it completely. There appeared to be rock still embedded in it - had Muzaka dug it out himself? From so deep in the seabed? "I'm guessing this reminded you of my hair?" He could already see a theme appearing with Muzaka's gifts.

Muzaka's tail briefly tightened again around Frankenstein as he grinned. "Yep."

Frankenstein found his smile widening. "Should I expect a replica of myself at some point?"

Muzaka tipped his head and laughed, Frankenstein feeling it through his tail. "That sounds like a great idea! I might, heh, but I don't think I'd be able to make one in just a couple days."

"I wouldn't expect you to," Frankenstein said, shaking his head. That was asking a lot.

"And now I'll have something to compare things to, so I can make sure at least your hair is right," Muzaka said, his gaze drifting to his bracelet, his smile softening.

"I'm glad it'll be helpful," Frankenstein said, turning his attention back to the food.

He couldn't wait to see what Muzaka would eventually make, if he decided to go through with it.

[-]

Frankenstein couldn't stop smiling as he returned to the port, his steps light as he continually checked on Muzaka's gift, making sure it was still there, though he would need to figure out what he could do with it. It was so interesting to see how Muzaka viewed him.

It had been a good day.

"Hey, doc!" someone called out as he passed, and Frankenstein smiled at him.

"Morning," he greeted. "Feeling better?" A slight case of scurvy from what he remembered.

"Absolutely!" the sailor said, before looking behind Frankenstein and grinning. "Long walks for your own health, doc?"

Frankenstein inclined his head, smiling back at him. "Of course. What kind of doctor would I be if I didn't also exercise?"

"And eat well!" The sailor turned back to the docks. "Later, doc."

Hopefully he wouldn't see the sailor again as that would be a sign of his good health, and Frankenstein mulled over what he would do for the rest of the day. Practicing swimming, perhaps?

[-]

Frankenstein hummed a song he'd heard the sailors singing as he went to his and Muzaka's cave, the wind picking up. He'd heard talk that a storm was brewing, but for the time being, he would be safe inside the cave once he arrived. If it was raging by the time Muzaka left, he could stay inside the cave until it blew over.

Frankenstein had walked the path often enough he didn't have to keep as close an eye as he did before on his surroundings, but...

He frowned, slowing down. There was something strange about the path.

While he knew the trail, he still only walked it twice a week.

So why did it look so trampled now?

He crouched down to study the tracks. They were far too big to be a deer or any...

They were footprints.

Human footprints.

Why would there be this many people walking through at once? It wasn't near the main road, and most travellers went by horse and carriage.

The only reason why...

Frankenstein swallowed, seeing the direction the footprints lead, and hurried forward.

[-]

"Muzaka?" Frankenstein called out as soon as he stepped into the cave. Only the sound of waves greeted him. No-one else was there.

That was fine.

He'd arrived early. It was normal not to see Muzaka yet.

Sunlight had barely begun to light the sky.

That was fine.

Still, Frankenstein paced around, scanning everything around him. For a hint of someth-

What was that sound?

A small grating, and Frankenstein turned his head towards the waves.

Something glinted back at him, and seeing it stole the breath from Frankenstein's chest.

No...

He dove forward, and it was exactly what he thought it was.

Muzaka's bracelet tumbled along the waves, dragging across the rock. He picked it up, seeing the latch still in place - where it had broken, the chain had twisted, like it had been pulled apart.

The sea was stained pink there and Frankenstein stared at it.

What had happened...?

Dolphins and whales are conscious breathers and turn off one side of their brain when they're resting, so they can keep breathing. :)

Muzaka's gift stumped me for WEEKS, pfft.