The quiet night was shattered by the sound of an explosion, causing a figure sat upright as a chill passed down their spine. A glance out the window confirmed her suspicion and she launched into motion. "Get a chopper out there, a liner just went down!" Ice filled their veins as they leapt from their bed, dressing in such a rush that she honestly was surprised that the items she blindly picked were ones she desires. Footsteps pounded first across carpet then wood then grass as she broke out into a sprint, heading for the nearby coastline while a team headed out to sea. The full moon high in the sky came out from behind the clouds as they came to a screeching halt upon the sand, their eyes combing over the blazing seascape. "Oh, please, let someone have survived that…" Her breath caught. There, upon one of the waves, what was that? She pulled a small device from her pocket and placed it up against her eye. A face down figure was bobbing amongst the sea foam. None of the choppers or lifeboats were near it enough to spot them which meant that if she didn't act now they might not make it. "Come on, girl, you got this…" she shook herself. "Those people said you'd never walk again yet you have! If you can beat the odds you can do this too!" Her eye slid closed as she took a deep inhale through her nose when the nightmares of the accident tried to discourage her. This person needed her, here and now, just as she had needed someone to rescue her. They had saved her not once but twice, a fact that she will have to live with for the rest of her life not knowing who to thank.
"Anzu, you are one of the strongest individuals I have had the fortune of meeting," his breath tickled the shell of her ear. "Whatever you set your mind to, I know no obstacle that has a chance of hindering you from achieving your goals."
"Normally I punch people in the face for calling me stubborn. I'll only forgive you if you come back, Yami! You hear me?!" She shouted, kicking off her shoes. "I'm going out to save that person, just like you did me, but unlike you I'm not gonna disappear after a few weeks! The next time you show your face to me I'm going to really give it to you!"
. . . .
There was a voice calling out across the water…everything was screaming in pain from his waist down…he couldn't breathe…but that voice…it was familiar…
. . . .
No answer came, not that she expected one, but she had gained a bit of her old confidence back and it was just enough to move her forward into the water. The person was unconscious when they finally reached them and their legs were bleeding heavily. How did they get all the way out here when the now sinking vessel was several leagues away? She remained diligent though, fighting to keep the unconscious person afloat as they turned towards land, and the sun was peeking over the horizon as they collapsed upon the sandy beach.
Eyes widened as they placed an ear against the still unconscious person's chest, unable to hear the telltale beating of a heart that should be there. "Sorry about this," a feminine voice whispered, rolling them onto their stomach and delivering a hearty hit between their shoulders. Ocean water spewed forth from between their lips as they gagged, her hands steadying them once he had sat upright.
Amethyst eyes widened as the heart within his chest pounded. Every blink brought his vision into focus, the oxygen filling his lungs quickly replacing the now unbearable salty water as he coughed. Stretched out before him were two human legs…that were connected to his torso! The tunic had now become so tattered it was barely hanging onto his figure by one of the shoulders, exposing an ample amount of his lean upper torso, but thankfully the lower portion under the belt had remained somewhat in tact that the junction between the legs was kept hidden. They were bloody and extremely weak but it had worked! He was now a human.
"You are one lucky guy, that explosion must have knocked you overboard and then the waves carried you pretty far. Even I'm surprised I spotted you." His gaze slowly traveled from his newly acquired legs, across the sand, and rose to find themselves gazing into cerulean pools that sparkled with concern as slender fingers gently dabbed at his face with their sleeve. Tears caused his vision to swim as she checked him over. Was this some sort of trick, an illusion or worse? "Looks like you're legs will be just fine but your clothing is a whole different story. You go lucky, that ship explosion wasn't too bad so you'll be right as rain in no time." She blinked as he raised a shaky hand and quickly clasped it between her own. He suddenly lunged, his arms wrapping tightly around her as sobs wracked his body. "You've been through a lot, haven't you? You poor thing…" Her arms rose and gently returned the embrace. "Don't you worry, I'm going to help you in every way that I can."
. . . .
"Now you're going to move your leg just a tad to the left…" Her finger tapped lightly against his thigh, smiling when it responded to her touch and moved in the direction it needed to be. "Yeah, that's it! You're getting the hang of it!"
The sun had risen hours ago, bringing with it golden warmth that he had not felt since his youth as he gazed up at the clear blue sky. There had been a few times when mother and father would bring them to the surface just so they could watch the beautiful sunrises that would leave them speechless. Now there was no comparison to what stole his breath away more, there wasn't even a contest now. His gaze drifted until they met her cerulean as her hands that were upon his shoulders wiggled to regain his attention.
"Hey, now, I can't be the only one doing all the work here," she teased, shimmying her shoulders a bit so that his hold was more stable. "Let's try walking a few steps, okay?"
He nodded. One by one, his bare feet would alternate to lightly drag across the sand to shadow her own that would take steps backward while his would bring him forward. A breeze blew past, carrying with it the scent of salt, as his right leg wobbled dangerously. Training within the water was much different than this; the air was so thin that if he were to lose his balance, even now, there was nothing to slow or cushion his fall. His years of training had earned him a fit physique but here on land it was clear that he would have to learn to support his own weight if he was going to accomplish anything. His breath caught as the sand beneath his heel suddenly shifted. Falling was a concept he had grasped onto quickly and managed to pivot himself so that the brunt of the impact would be more on his hip.
"Whoa!"
Oh, that's right, he still had a hold upon her shoulders. They crashed into the sand in a heap but he had been quick enough to move so that his back took the entire force of the impact while she was safety curled against his front with his arms wound tightly around her. His eyes that had clenched shut in preparation flew open as the last time they had held one another caused sadness to ghost through his chest. It had been in farewell that they had clung to each other so desperately, their sorrow had been shared then, but now…how was he supposed to convey who he really was so that the sadness hidden deep within the pools that were her eyes would disappear?
"That was a close one, nice reflexes." She praised, cracking an eye open when no answer came and found herself speechless. Her hands that themselves flat against his chest found him trembling. There were so many emotions within his eyes that in that moment she wasn't sure what color the were supposed to be. This was the closest they had ever been since they met earlier that morning, heck, this was the closest she'd allowed anyone ever since…
He held perfectly still as she shifted upwards so that they were eye level. As a merman, he had attempted to be as close to her height as possible but was never capable. Now that he was human he had found himself even closer to matching her. Siting up slowly so as not to dislodge her, he slowly loosened his hold. She didn't move away though or made any other move to withdraw. Those cerulean eyes of hers were wide as though she were looking for something within his own but what answer could he possibly give her to a question she hadn't voiced? His own voice had been sacrificed as part of the deal so even if she had he couldn't have answered. The breath he had been in the middle of taking stalled as the faintest droplets of moisture appeared along her lashes when she finally blinked, the sadness that had been barely visible was now at the forefront as his hands rose to cup her face. It's been four long months since they had last met, was it possible that she didn't remember him at all? No, that wasn't it at all. She had never seen his face so how could she forget something that was never revealed to her? Before he had realized it, he had bent forward as his eyes closed and his lips had met her forehead.
Heat burned across her cheeks. Was this their way of saying 'thank you'? "Y-you're very welcome," she stammered as they retreated, shifting her weight to the balls of her feet so she could stand. Her hand found his wrist and gave a light tug that was enough to bring him to his own feet. "Let's try again, okay?" Embarrassment filled her as a low growling filled the air and his gaze dropped to her middle but it was replaced by mild amusement when his surprised eyes fell to his own. "We have been out here for several hours and I'm sure you're hungry after everything you've been through."
Tanned cheeks tinted with faintest hint of pink as her slender fingers entwined with his own. Of all the times they had been like this back in the loch there had been water to act as a medium between their skin temperatures; his had always been on the cool side while she had been almost hot enough to burn him. Now they were opposite: her cool skin soothed his nearly unbearable warm own.
A high pitched series of beeps earned both of their gazes to shift to her right ear. "Hello?….No, I'm fine…Would you calm down…Mai…Stop…Stop!" She sent him an apologetic glance when he flinched at her rise in volume, her thumb rubbing his soothingly. "I swear, the harpies never shut up or stop circling…Yeah, you know I'm talking about you too!…Who am I talking to?…I have no idea, we can figure that out…later…" Cerulean widened as their gazes met, the sunlight forming a single beam that caused his true eye color to glitter, and found herself gazing into near hypnotizing amethyst gems. "…I-I'm still here…Yeah, I'll be coming back soon. Can you make sure to have some food ready? We're starving." One of her fingers shakily rose and pressed against the little device but her gaze never broke from his as the hand cupped his cheek. "Have we met?"